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CHICAGO — The Pacers were the biggest losers of the NBA draft lottery; They entered with the second-best odds at the No. 1 pick and left without a first-round draft pick.
Indiana fell to No. 5 at the NBA draft lottery Sunday, automatically losing its pick to the Clippers in the process.
On Feb. 5, the Pacers acquired center Ivica Zubac from the Clippers in exchange for a package that included a 2026 first-round pick and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick. With the Pacers holding the league’s second-worst record, the team ensured the pick would have a top-four protection, meaning Indiana would keep the pick if it landed in the top four.
The Pacers finished the season with the second-worst record, giving them a 52.1% chance of landing in the top four. But the Ping-Pong balls did not fall their way Sunday as the top four picks went to the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, respectively.
The loss of the pick led Pacers president Kevin Pritchard to publicly apologize to the team’s fans.
“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.”
Pritchard added, however, that the team made the trade for the purpose of acquiring a high-caliber center. Indiana lost Myles Turner in free agency last year, and Zubac is essentially his replacement.
“But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient,” Pritchard wrote.
Pritchard told reporters after the draft lottery that he “felt a little pressure” during the trade deadline to make the trade to be able to strengthen his roster. He also said he couldn’t protect the pick beyond four.
“That was the vig for us to get [Zubac],” Pritchard said.
The Pacers are coming off a NBA Finals appearance in 2025 in which they were one win away from taking home the title. But the Thunder took home the title in Game 7 after star point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in the first quarter.
With Haliburton out for the entire 2025–26 season and Turner moving to Milwaukee, Indiana fell to the bottom of the standings. Haliburton is expected to return next season.
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