The Indiana Pacers came into Sunday’s 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier in Chicago with a 52.1 percent chance of keeping their first-round pick. They needed to land inside the top four to hold onto it. They did not, and the fallout has been immediate and painful for a franchise that just completed one of the worst seasons in its history.
Kevin Pritchard, Indiana’s President of Basketball Operations, did not hide from the moment. He stepped up and owned it publicly within minutes of the result being announced.
Pacers Lose No. 1 Pick at 2026 NBA Draft
“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,” Pritchard said.
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.
— Kevin Pritchard (@PacersKev) May 10, 2026
The pick that Indiana just lost to the Los Angeles Clippers was tied directly to the Ivica Zubac trade Pritchard made at the February deadline. Looking to fill the massive hole left by Myles Turner’s departure for the Milwaukee Bucks, Pritchard sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and two first-round picks to the Clippers in exchange for Zubac and Kibe Brown.
One of those picks was the 2026 first-rounder, protected for selections one through four. The Pacers needed to land inside that range tonight to keep it. They landed at five, and the pick is now in Los Angeles.
The lottery result stings on multiple levels. This is a historically loaded draft class, widely considered one of the deepest in years, and Indiana entered the night owning the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
They had the most ping pong balls of any team in the conference. The 52.1 percent retention odds were real, and the Pacers had every reason to believe the basketball gods might finally go their way.
Instead, the pick slid one spot below the protection threshold in what amounted to one of the more brutal lottery outcomes of the night for any franchise involved.
On the bright side, there is a silver lining. Because the Clippers are receiving Indiana’s 2026 pick, the original terms of the deal that would have required Indiana to also send their unprotected 2031 first-round pick to Los Angeles are now voided.
The only future first the Pacers currently have outstanding is their 2029 selection, which gives Pritchard and the front office considerably more flexibility to make moves in free agency and through trades this summer without burning their long-term asset base.
Zubac did deliver on the court, averaging 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 5 games after the trade. The center position was addressed. But they didn’t have Mathurin’s scoring off the bench. The Pacers head into the offseason needing to find a bench scorer through free agency or a trade to fill the gap.
Pritchard acknowledged that fixing that piece of the roster will be the top priority moving forward. The apology to fans was genuine. Now comes the harder part of actually solving the problem.
