Philly Sports Jabronis
The state of the Philadelphia 76ers draft allotment came more into focus Wednesday night. With their 105-101 loss to visiting Miami coupled with Brooklyn’s win over Orlando (which assured the Nets the No. 8 seed in the 2015 playoffs), the Sixers (18-64, one win fewer than in 2014) have at least the possibility of retaining the rights to the Heat’s 2015 first-round pick so long as Miami does not land within the top 10 during the lottery, which is scheduled for May 19. Even with the win Wednesday night, the Heat finished as the 10th-worst team in the NBA this season with a 37-45 record, meaning that their most likely going to receive the No. 10 pick, which would push the Sixers’ rights to the pick until next year’s draft. Should Utah, Phoenix, Oklahoma City or Indiana (teams that finished with better records than the Heat this season) slip into the lottery’s top three and push the Heat out of the top 10 picks, the Sixers would keep the pick this year.
It is already known that the Sixers will not receive Oklahoma City’s first-round pick this year because it was top-18 protected and the Thunder will be in the lottery after missing the playoffs when San Antonio lost in New Orleans Wednesday night, which clinched the West’s No. 8 seed in the postseason for the Pelicans. The Sixers stand to acquire the Thunder’s top-15-protected pick next year.
The Sixers will still receive the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick this year if LA lands outside the top five in the lottery. The Lakers (21-61) finished with the fourth-worst record and could fall as low as seventh. If the Sixers don’t receive the pick, they would get the Lakers’ top-three-protected pick next year.
