The Rockets are very likely to own the No. 44 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft, as determined by a series of random-draw tiebreakers conducted Monday by the league office.
The Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Sacramento Kings all finished with matching 46-36 records this season. In the first round, these teams will be in the No. 13 through No. 15 slots in the order. In the second round, they are tied at No. 43 through No. 45 overall.
Because Miami advanced to the playoffs and the other two did not, the Heat were placed last in the first-round order. Then, the Kings won their tiebreaker draw versus the Warriors, putting Sacramento in the No. 13 odds slot and Golden State at No. 14.
The Warriors have an extremely small possibility (3.4%) of winning one of the top-four lottery picks and potentially finishing ahead of Sacramento, but that is a highly unlikely scenario.
So, assuming the order stays Sacramento-Golden State-Miami in the second round, the order will be flipped in the second round. That would keep the Warriors in the middle, and Houston owns that pick as part of the Clint Capela-Robert Covington trade involving the Hawks, Minnesota, and Denver in February 2020. Atlanta had previously acquired that pick in a separate deal with the Warriors.
Houston will also have at least one first-round draft pick (via Brooklyn) and has a small chance of retaining its own, as well. However, the specifics of those picks won’t be determined until after the May 12 draft lottery, which will sort out those initial 14 slots.
The first round of the 2024 NBA draft will take place on June 26, while the second will be held on the ensuing day, June 27. Both rounds typically feature 30 selections, with one originally allotted (prior to any trades) to each of the league’s 30 franchises.
However, the 2024 second round features only 28 selections, since Phoenix and Philadelphia each lost their pick due to league sanctions. Both were penalized for premature free agency discussions.
