After the Indiana Pacers found themselves on the wrong end of lottery luck Sunday, losing their 2026 first-round pick, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard addressed a fanbase frustrated that a year full of losing didn't net a high draft choice, thanks to trading it to the LA Clippers for center Ivica Zubac in February.
"I'm really sorry to all our fans," Pritchard posted on X on Sunday, a short time after Indiana received the bad news at the league's annual draft lottery in Chicago. "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 and the Pacers had the league's second-worst record this season at 19-63 -- second only to the 18-64 Washington Wizards, who wound up winning the top pick. Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn ended the season with equal chances to win the top pick (14%) or land in the lottery's top four (52%).
The Pacers needed to land in the top four to keep their pick after trading it with protections to the Clippers for Zubac. The trade sent two of Indiana's first-round picks to the Clippers, one in 2029 and then either this year's if it fell outside of the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.
Because Washington moved up in the lottery, Indiana landed fifth, so the pick went to the Clippers instead.
Indiana valued Zubac, one of the better centers in the league, because of his talent at a position of need -- the Pacers never replaced Myles Turner, who signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason -- and his contract, as Zubac is owed $20.3 million in 2026-27 and $21.7 million in 2027-28 before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
Indiana will hope to bounce back with another deep playoff run with a healthy Tyrese Haliburton after he missed the entire season because a torn Achilles that he suffered in June 2025 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.