The Indiana Pacers’ dangerous decision backfired after the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery resulted in them losing their first selection entirely in a terrible turn of events on Sunday afternoon.
The Pacers, who went 19-63 the season after reaching the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference, had a 52. 1% chance of getting a top-four pick heading into the lottery.
However, when their team was not selected in the first four selections – Indiana also had a 14% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick – it was time to worry.
Why? The Pacers exchanged their first-round selection in a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they only made it a top-four protected selection. That means the Pacers would be able to retain the pick if they were selected in the top four in the lottery.
However, the Pacers were selected as the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers currently have possession of the selection in next month’s draft.
As a result, Pacers team president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard apologized for the decision on social media.
I sincerely apologize to all of our supporters, he stated on X. I am willing to take this risk. Surprised that it finished fifth this year. I believed we deserved some luck. But keep in mind that this club deserves a starting center to compete with the finest teams next year. We’ve always been resilient.
The Pacers were considered as a team actively tanking, despite the NBA’s efforts to regulate the activity, with the lottery serving as one method for doing so. And it clearly worked this time.
Pritchard attempted to be transparent and forthright with Pacers supporters, but others were rapid to respond in the comments to share their ideas and concerns.
One X user said, “You lose Myles Turner and get Zubac. ” You sacrifice [Benedict] Mathurin and the No. 5 selection in exchange for absolutely nothing. This is why people are furious, because it is for a center who is not even a top five center in the NBA. Who exchanges their future for Ivan [sic] Zubac???
If I were a Pacers fan and my team traded away a top five pick for Ivica Zubac midway through a tanking season, I would be devastated, according to a fellow X user.
The Pacers were without their All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the whole season due to an Achilles ailment he sustained in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Indiana will have important members of that squad returning next season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith.
However, this 2026 draft class is rather spectacular, with many expecting it to be deep given the ability of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.
