A mid-season trade by the Indiana Pacers in a down year has resulted in the team losing the fifth-overall pick.
The team had been in need of a center since longtime star Myles Turner left for the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
After going most of the season without a star big man, the Pacers traded their first round picks in 2026 and 2029 to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac.
The Zubac trade did little to prevent the Pacers from ending up with the second-worst record in the league. However, Indiana made sure the 2026 pick they sent to the Clippers had top-four protection, meaning the Pacers would keep the pick if they went 1-4 in the lottery.
But the ping-pong balls didn’t bounce their way and Indiana ended up fifth in the lottery behind the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls – meaning the Clippers would indeed get this year’s selection in a star-studded NBA Draft class.
After the shocking result, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard took to social media and publicly apologized for his role in the trade.
Pacers team president Kevin Pritchard apologized after Indiana came fifth in the draft lottery
Coming fifth means the Pacers send the pick to the Clippers as part of the trade for Ivica Zubac
The Pacers had the second-worst record in the league after Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles
‘I’m really sorry to all our fans,’ Pritchard wrote on X/Twitter. ‘I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck.’
While he was certainly upset over the result of the lottery, Pritchard maintained that the Pacers needed a star big man in order to compete next season once Tyrese Haliburton returns from an Achilles tear.
‘But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient,’ Pritchard wrote.
After the lottery took place, Pritchard told reporters that he ‘felt a little pressure’ during the trade deadline to to deal for a big man.
He added that he couldn’t protect the pick beyond top-four: ‘That was the vig for us to get [Zubac],’ Pritchard said.
The Pacers expect to improve when Haliburton returns from his devastating NBA Finals Game 7 injury last season.
