The Indiana Pacers entered the NBA draft lottery with hopes of landing a top-four pick, but the basketball gods had other plans. On Sunday, the ping-pong balls delivered what could be considered another gut-punch to a franchise still reeling from last season's heartbreaking Game 7 NBA Finals loss.
When the lottery results were revealed, Indiana found themselves sitting at No. 5—one agonizing spot short of their target. But here's the real kicker: that pick won't belong to the Pacers. Instead, it's headed to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the trade that brought center Ivica Zubac to Indiana earlier this year.
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard didn't mince words about his disappointment. This is a team that went from being the second-best squad in the league last season to owning the second-worst record this year. The fall has been steep, and the wounds are still fresh.
Remember that fateful Game 7? Star guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in that contest, sidelining him for the entire 2025-26 season. Since that devastating moment, the Pacers have had little to celebrate—and Sunday's lottery only added to the frustration.
"I'm really sorry to all our fans," Pritchard posted on X after the lottery. "I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember—this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient."
Pritchard didn't stop at social media. In an emotional interview with Indianapolis media, he opened up about the weight of the moment. "I know the Twitterverse is probably going to be a little brutal. And I get it, man, I get it," he told reporters. "My heart was beating like it was Game 7. And to those people, I'm sorry. But I can promise you, at the end of the day, we're going to be an organization that figures it out. We're very resourceful."
The Zubac trade terms are worth revisiting: Indiana sent Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson to the Clippers, along with two future first-round picks (2029 and 2031). That deal looked promising when it was made, but the lottery outcome has left the Pacers empty-handed in this year's draft—a tough pill to swallow for a team desperate for a rebuild spark.
For a franchise that was one game away from an NBA championship just a year ago, the road back just got a little longer. But if there's one thing the Pacers have shown, it's resilience. The question now is how they'll channel that spirit into the next chapter.