Nuggets GM Tim Connelly. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
The final night of regular season games finally brought clarity to the Nuggets first-round pick haul this year. Houston’s win over Sacramento on Wednesday put the Rockets in the playoffs and triggered their first-round pick to be transferred to the Nuggets, as required by the Ty Lawson trade last summer. The Nuggets also have two second-round picks.
NUGGETS FIRST ROUND PICKS
1. Their own, which can be swapped with the Knicks: This is the last piece of the 2011 Carmelo Anthony trade. The Knicks have the seventh-worst record in the NBA, which carries a 15 percent chance of landing a top three pick. The Nuggets have a 6 percent chance of landing a top-three pick. So, in all, the Nuggets have two chances to land a top-three spot. They’ll take the better of the two picks after the draft lottery.
2. The Portland pick. This pick was lottery protected, and was gained as part of the Arron Afflalo trade last season. Portland wasn’t expected to make the playoffs, but it did, and because of that the pick goes to the Nuggets this year.
3. The Houston pick. The availability of this pick went all the way to the wire. But once Houston dispatched of Sacramento in order to make the playoffs, the pick went to the Nuggets.
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
