Former Thunder Guard Josh Giddey Playing Though Injury

It's time for postseason basketball. The first hurdle to clear? The NBA Play-In Tournament. This tournament is big for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Not only do the Thunder find out its first round matchup at the end of the Play-In festivities with its pool dwindled down to three possible matchups between the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks –– but the tournament matters for Oklahoma City's future as well.

While the Bricktown ballers have its sights set on an NBA championship, the Thunder still sit upon a massive pile of future NBA Draft picks, a stash that can get richer with the outcome of this weeks games.

The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls will face off on Wednesday for the right to go take on the Atlanta Hawks on Friday in hopes of securing the No. 8 seed in the NBA Playoffs.

If the Heat advance to the NBA Playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder earn the No. 15 pick via Miami in the 2025 NBA Draft, a loaded crop of prospects to issue another good player to what is already the deepest team in the NBA.

However, if Miami falls in the NBA Play-In Tournament no matter if the loss comes on Wednesday or Friday, the Heat fall to the Lottery and keep their own pick. That sets up the Oklahoma City Thunder to own the Heat's 2026 unprotected first-round pick from the South Beach Ballers.

In this contest, former Thunder guard Josh Giddey is playing through a muscle tear in his shooting hand, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Giddey has played great for the Bulls this season, especially rounding into form post All-Star Break. The young guard is no stranger to big play-in performances and could help out his former team with a win tonight.