Why Did the Pacers Lose Their Pick? Inside Indiana’s Brutal Ivica Zubac Gamble

The Indiana Pacers traded their 2026 NBA Draft pick, and now the organization's president is apologizing. Indiana’s pick landed at No. 5 in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, and that exact spot triggered the terms of the Pacers’ February trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for center Ivica Zubac.

The pick carried unusual protections. Indiana would keep it if it landed in the top four, but the Clippers would get it if it landed between No. 5 and No. 9. When the lottery pushed the Pacers to No. 5, the pick officially went to Los Angeles.

The Pacers lost their pick because they traded it to the Clippers in the Ivica deal. Indiana acquired Ivica and Kobe Brown from Los Angeles before the trade deadline. In return, the Clippers received Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick.

According to the NBA, the 2026 pick carried protections for picks 1-4 and 10-30. That meant the Clippers needed a very specific lottery outcome to cash in, and they got it.

Indiana had strong odds to keep the pick. CBS Sports reported the Pacers had a 52.1 percent chance of landing in the top four. But the remaining 47.9% chance meant the pick would fall to No. 5 or No. 6 and head to the Clippers. The Pacers landed at No. 5, the worst possible outcome for Indiana and the best possible result for Los Angeles.

Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard did not duck the heat. After the lottery, he apologized to fans and owned the front office’s gamble.

“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” Kevin wrote on X. “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 Pacers did not trade the pick just to move assets around. They believed they needed a legitimate starting center after losing longtime big man Myles Turner in free agency. Ivica gave them size, rebounding, defense, and a veteran frontcourt presence next to Pascal Siakam, especially with Tyrese Haliburton expected to return from his Achilles injury.

Kevin later defended the move, saying the Pacers got “a really good center in Zubac.” He also added that “you can’t slow-play your way into success in this league,” according to Sports Illustrated.

For now, the Pacers will leave the 2026 draft without that lottery pick. Unless Indiana trades back into the draft, the franchise will watch Los Angeles use the selection it once hoped to keep. Still, Indiana has a path forward. The Pacers continue to build around Haliburton, Siakam, Ivica, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith as the core of the roster.