I think it is set after the play-in. The regular season 8th seeded Cavs and Clippers were passed by the 9th seeded Hawks and Pels last year. The Hawks and Pels gained the 8th seed. Looking at the draft it appears the Cavs and Clippers had better picks.
All the playoffs teams are ordered 15-30 and all the non-playoff teams are ordered 1-14 according to regular season records (and the lottery). The play-in determines which teams make the playoffs. That's why we want to see the Clippers not only fall out of the 6th seed but also lose out in the play-in to land in the lottery territory.
There are 8 teams in each conference that make up the Playoffs. Of these 8 teams in each conference, 6 of them are decided solely by records and tie-breaker rules. The last 2 positions in each conference are decided by the Play-In tournament. In this tournament, 4 teams in each conference will compete for the final 2 spots in the playoffs in each conference. Those 4 teams will be the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th "best" teams in each conference. In each conference, the 7th team will play the 8th team and the 9th team will play the 10th team to determine those final 2 playoff spots. In each conference, the winner of the 7th vs. 8th team match-up will be the 7th seed in the playoffs. In each conference, the winner of the 9th vs. 10th team match-up will play a second game against the loser of the 7th vs. 8th team, and that game's winner will be the 8th seed in the playoffs. The loser of each of these games is in the lottery. So, if you're the 7th or 8th team going into the Play-In, you get 2 games to make the playoffs. if you lose both of those games, you're in the lottery. If you win one, you're in the playoffs. If you're the 9th or 10 team going into the Play-In, you get only 1 game to make the playoffs. If you don't win it, you're in the lottery. As a result, and as an example, you can be the 7th best team in the conference, but end up in the lottery by losing both of your Play-In games while the 10th best team ends up in the playoffs, but only by winning both of your Play-In games. That's for the playoffs. For the draft, and outside the lottery, records are used to determine draft order, so if two or more teams are tied in terms of record, a random drawing is done to break those ties. Playoff seeding and draft order are two different things. If you're playing along, what this basically means is that we don't know where the Clippers pick will land yet because they are currently the 6th seed in the West playoffs, so they're not in the Play-In, but they are right on the edge of being in the Play-In. This means, they could either be a lottery pick or something like the 17th pick. We won't know for another game or two. Yes, even though they only have 3 games left in the season - the race is that close thanks to the records and the Play-In rules. So the appropriate answer to "what pick do we have?" is "I don't know yet". It could end up being something like 13, 14, 17'ish, etc. This is all assuming I didn't make any typos or make all this up ... *Edited thx to Icehouse and Glimmertwins posts reminding me of one sad scenario*
The Clippers pick is top 6 protected. They climb in the lottery and we get no swap, and get the Bucks pick.
Said another way - the only possible draft picks Houston could get from the Clippers pick this year are 13th-18th(depending on final seeding) or the last pick in the draft(if the Clip somehow jump slots and we end up with the Bucks pick). ...said in yet another way just for Houston fans used to being tortured by this franchise, we are definitely getting the last pick in the draft from the Eric Gordon trade.
This is a good point, and one I completely forgot about (again... lol). So many moving parts and issues this late in the season. I'm just waiting, but the more I think about it, the more scared I'm getting about the Clippers getting in the lottery.
I think it's about a ~2% chance at jumping into top 3 if they are lotto bound. Not that big of a reason to worry.
If his medicals checked out I am favoring Dariq Whitehead with the LAC pick. I think he is a high floor/high ceiling guy who, but for his injuries, would be a top pick. Hed be a perfect guy to send down RGV for a year to hone his game and then be primed for a major role off the bench in year 2.
Again, BOTH OKC and the Clippers would have to land in the top 6 for us to end up with the Buck’s pick. The chances of that happening are tiny. Like, .2% if my math is correct. Not 2%, mind you. .2%.
That's not how I understand it. The pick is a top-6-protected pick first and foremost. It was so when OKC made the deal with LAC first. Houston is second in line in the swap of the pick. OKC gets first dibs. Since it's top-6 protected, if LAC ends up in the top 4, the pick does not convey to anyone. OKC would not get LAC's pick and Houston would not get OKC's pick, and of course Houston would not get LAC's pick. Houston would end up with the Buck's pick.
I don’t think that’s correct. The Clippers-OKC trade included a 2023 unprotected swap. Our swap right is top 6 protected. In other words, the only way it’s triggered is if both OKC and the Clippers end up top 6. The 2023 pick you’re referencing is via Miami and it’s protected 1 - 14.
Hmm. You may be right on the protection between LAC and OKC, but I remember reading somewhere if the Clippers end top-6, the Rockets do not get anything via swap regardless of where OKC lands. It had nothing to do with both OKC and LAC ending in top 6. If they both end top-6, I understand the Rockets would get screwed. It's almost like it's an interpretation of what "top-6 protection" means. For example, if LAC lands the 4th pick, but OKC lands a pick outside the top 6, is it "the end" for the Rockets before any OKC/LAC swap since the LAC pick is top-6 protected for the Rockets? Or is it like you said and they'd both have to end up in the top 6?
I think it’s a protected pick: “Meanwhile, OKC's haul of draft assets includes L.A.'s unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, along with 2021 (unprotected) and 2023 (protected) first-round selections via the Miami Heat and the option to swap picks with the Thunder in 2023 and 2025, according to the ESPN report.” https://syndication.bleacherreport....r-danilo-gallinari-5-1st-round-picks.amp.html
