CHICAGO — The Indiana Pacers walked into the NBA draft lottery with hope, but left empty-handed. Despite holding the second-best odds at the No. 1 overall pick, the Pacers fell to No. 5 on Sunday, automatically losing their first-round selection to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard didn't mince words when addressing the team's fans afterward. "I'm really sorry to all our fans," Pritchard wrote on social media. "I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck."
The heartbreak stems from a February 5 trade that sent a package including a 2026 first-round pick and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick to the Clippers in exchange for center Ivica Zubac. Indiana had negotiated top-four protection on the pick, meaning they would keep it if it landed in the top four. With the NBA's second-worst record, the Pacers had a 52.1% chance of doing exactly that.
But the Ping-Pong balls had other plans. The top four picks went to the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, and Chicago Bulls, respectively, leaving Indiana on the outside looking in.
Pritchard defended the trade, noting the Pacers desperately needed a starting center after losing Myles Turner in free agency last year. "But please remember — this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient," he wrote.
The executive acknowledged feeling pressure at the trade deadline to strengthen the roster, adding that protecting the pick beyond four wasn't possible. "That was the vig for us to get [Zubac]," Pritchard explained.
The timing makes the loss especially painful. The Pacers are coming off a 2025 NBA Finals appearance where they were one win away from the championship, only to see the Oklahoma City Thunder take Game 7 after star point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter. For a team that's already endured so much, this draft lottery setback feels like another cruel twist of fate.