Back in January, as part of the Dion Waiters trade, the Thunder traded its first round pick for the upcoming draft.
But it was top-18 protected. And after a recent Wizards win helped them clinch a better record than the Thunder, OKC is guaranteed to have no worse than the 18th pick. So the Thunder will keep it for this season and its traded first rounder, now in the hands of Philadelphia, will be top-15 protected next season.
If OKC makes the playoffs, it’ll have the 18th pick. If the Thunder miss the postseason, it’ll have the 14th, with an outside shot to jump higher in the lottery.