Clippers Highlight 47.9% Chance to Land Pacers’ Pick Ahead of 2026 Draft Lottery
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The Los Angeles Clippers are openly tracking Indiana’s draft odds as Sunday’s 2026 NBA draft lottery approaches, hoping a protected first-round pick acquired from the Pacers falls their way.
Los Angeles obtained the selection at February’s trade deadline when it sent center Ivica Zubac to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-rounder. One of those firsts is protected if it lands at Nos. 1-4 or 10-30. Should the ping-pong balls place Indiana between Nos. 5 and 9, the pick transfers to the Clippers.
The Clippers, missing first-round selections in each of the past two drafts for the first time in more than a decade, are using social media to underline their 47.9% chance of receiving the Pacers’ pick. After Indiana posted a lottery countdown with the caption “May the odds be in our favor,” Los Angeles replied with its own six-day countdown. On Tuesday, the Clippers responded to a Pacers graphic detailing Indiana’s lottery probabilities, emphasizing the combined 47.9% likelihood that the pick lands at No. 5 or No. 6—positions that would head to L.A.
Indiana owns a 14% chance at the top overall selection, tied with the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets for the best odds. The Pacers finished the season 19-63.
If the pick conveys, it would be the Clippers’ highest selection since choosing Jerome Robinson at No. 13 in 2018. Their own 2026 first-rounder belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the 2019 Paul George trade. Last year, Los Angeles drafted center Yanic Konan Niederhauser in the first round.
The lottery drawing is scheduled for Sunday.
Source: ESPN
