Pacers Lose No. 5 Pick to Clippers After Lottery Setback
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CHICAGO — Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard apologized to fans Sunday after the franchise’s 2026 first-round draft pick slipped to No. 5 and transferred to the Los Angeles Clippers because of prior trade protections.
Indiana, 19-63 this season, owned the league’s second-worst record and entered the NBA draft lottery with a 14% chance to secure the top selection and a 52% chance to land in the top four. The pick needed to land inside that top-four window to stay with the Pacers under terms of February’s deal that brought center Ivica Zubac from Los Angeles.
When the Washington Wizards, who finished 17-65, won the No. 1 pick, the Pacers fell to the fifth slot, triggering the conveyance to the Clippers. Moments later, Pritchard posted on X: “I’m really sorry to all our fans. 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.”
The trade sent two Indiana first-rounders to Los Angeles: the 2026 pick if it landed outside the top four, plus a 2029 first. Had the 2026 selection remained in the top four, Indiana would have owed an unprotected 2031 first instead.
Zubac, 29, is under contract for $20.3 million in 2026-27 and $21.7 million in 2027-28. Indiana targeted the veteran after failing to replace longtime center Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in July 2025.
The Pacers expect guard Tyrese Haliburton, sidelined all season by a torn Achilles sustained in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, to return for 2026-27 as the team aims for another deep postseason run.
Source: ESPN
