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The Indiana Pacers’ risky move backfired after the 2026 NBA Draft lottery saw them completely lose their top pick in a disastrous turn of events on Sunday afternoon.
Heading into the lottery, the Pacers, who went 19-63 just one season after reaching the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference, had a 52.1 percent chance of having a top-four pick.
However, when they didn’t see their team taken in the top four picks – Indiana also had a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick – it was time to panic.
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Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard speaks during a press conference to announce the contract extension of center Miles Turner at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 30, 2023. (Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports)
The reason? The Pacers included their first-round pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they only made him one of the first four picks protected. That means if the Pacers were a top-four lottery pick, they could keep him.
But the Pacers were taken as the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers now own the selection in next month’s draft.
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As a result, Pacers team president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard took full responsibility for the decision, apologizing on social media.
“I’m so sorry to all our fans,” he wrote on
Signage is displayed during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois on May 10, 2026. (Mélissa Tamez/NBAE/Getty Images)
The Pacers were seen as a team that was actively tanking despite the NBA’s attempt to suppress such a season, with the lottery being one way to accomplish this. And it clearly worked this time.
Pritchard was trying to be transparent and honest with the Pacers fan base, but people were quick to jump into the comments to make their thoughts and gripes known.
“You lose Myles Turner and add Zubac,” one X user began. “You lose [Benedict] Mathurin and the number 5 pick with absolutely nothing in return. This is why fans are upset, for a center who isn’t even a top 5 center in the NBA. Who trades his future for Ivan [sic] Zubac???”
Another X user called this a “generational draft” and couldn’t imagine the Pacers wouldn’t pick from a deep class.
“If I were a Pacers fan and my team traded a top 5 pick for Ivica Zubac in the middle of a tanking season, I would be beyond devastated,” another X user wrote.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton shoots on the court before an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis on April 7, 2026. (Doug McSchooler/AP)
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The Pacers were without All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton all season after suffering an Achilles injury in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana still has key members of that team returning next season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith.
However, this 2026 draft class is quite a spectacle, with many deeming it deep considering the talent of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.
