The Los Angeles Clippers have long played second fiddle to the Lakers in the City of Angels, and recent seasons have been marred by a string of unfortunate injuries. But on Sunday, the franchise finally caught a break—and it came in the form of the No. 5 overall pick in June’s loaded NBA draft.

Interestingly, the Clippers didn’t even have a representative on the lottery stage when the pick was announced. That’s because the selection—acquired from the Indiana Pacers in February in the Ivica Zubac trade—was only guaranteed to convey if it fell outside the top four. And fall it did, landing perfectly in the Clippers’ lap.

Behind the scenes, Clippers executive Rishabh Desai was in the drawing room, wearing a suit gifted to him by NBA legend and longtime Clippers advisor Jerry West for good luck, as he told The Athletic. The result? A pick so impactful that Pacers president Kevin Pritchard felt compelled to apologize to Indiana fans.

This marks the Clippers’ highest draft selection since they took Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick in 2009. But the timing is especially critical, as the league has yet to announce the findings of its investigation into Kawhi Leonard and environmental startup Aspiration. The probe is examining whether the Clippers used the failed company to funnel additional money to Leonard and circumvent the NBA’s salary cap—a violation that could carry severe penalties.

A league spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports that the investigation is ongoing. The maximum possible penalties include a $7.5 million fine, the voiding of Leonard’s contract, and the stripping of multiple future draft picks. If Commissioner Adam Silver chooses to enforce such measures, it would severely hamstring the Clippers’ ability to build a competitive roster in a post-Leonard era. Leonard, now 34, has one year left on his current contract worth $50.3 million.

That’s where the No. 5 pick becomes a lifeline. It gives the organization a potential cornerstone to build around if the NBA hits them with maximum penalties—a desperately needed asset, considering L.A. doesn’t fully control its own first-round picks until 2030. Interestingly, because the Pacers pick conveyed to the Clippers, Indiana will now retain its 2031 first-round selection. Had the Pacers’ 2026 pick stayed in the top four, the Clippers would have netted that 2031 pick instead.

And there’s more good news for Clippers fans: the team narrowly avoided additional pain on Sunday. In addition to landing the Pacers pick, their own first-round selection remained safely in hand. For a franchise that has seen its share of hard luck, Sunday felt like a quiet victory—and a much-needed one at that.