Pacers president apologizes to fans after team's 'risk' backfires in NBA Draft Lottery

The Indiana Pacers’ risky determination backfired aft the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery saw them suffer their apical prime altogether successful a disastrous crook of events connected Sunday afternoon.

Heading into the lottery, the Pacers, who went 19-63 conscionable 1 play aft reaching the NBA Finals retired of the Eastern Conference, had a 52.1% accidental of having a top-four pick.

However, erstwhile they didn’t spot their squad chosen successful the archetypal 4 picks – Indiana besides had a 14% accidental of getting the No. 1 wide prime – it was clip to panic.

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Indiana Pacers president of hoops operations Kevin Pritchard speaks during a property league to denote halfway Miles Turner's declaration hold astatine Gainsbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis, Ind., connected Jan. 30, 2023. (Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports)

The reason? The Pacers included their first-round prime successful a commercialized with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they lone made it a top-four protected pick. That means, if the Pacers were chosen successful the lottery arsenic a top-four selection, they would beryllium capable to support it.

But the Pacers were chosen arsenic the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers present ain the enactment successful adjacent month’s draft.

NBA LOTTERY CHAOS: WASHINGTON WIZARDS STRIKE GOLD, PACERS PAY FOR TANKING GAMBLE NIGHTMARE

As a result, Pacers squad president of hoops operations Kevin Pritchard took afloat work for the move, apologizing connected societal media.

"I’m truly atrocious to each our fans," helium wrote connected X. "I ain taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th aft this year. I thought we were owed immoderate luck. But delight retrieve – this squad deserved a starting halfway to vie with the champion teams adjacent year. We person ever been resilient."

Signage is displayed during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery astatine Navy Pier successful Chicago, Illinois, connected May 10, 2026. (Melissa Tamez/NBAE/Getty Images)

The Pacers were viewed arsenic a squad that were actively tanking contempt the NBA’s effort to ace down connected specified a season, with the lottery being 1 mode of that. And it intelligibly worked this clip around.

Pritchard was trying to beryllium transparent and honorable with the Pacers instrumentality base, but radical were speedy to leap successful the comments to marque their thoughts, and gripes, known.

"You suffer Myles Turner and adhd Zubac," 1 X idiosyncratic began. "You suffer [Benedict] Mathurin and the fig 5 prime with perfectly thing successful return. This is wherefore fans are upset, for a halfway who not adjacent a apical 5 halfway successful the NBA. Who trades their aboriginal distant for Ivan [sic] Zubac???"

Another X idiosyncratic called this a "generational draft," and couldn’t fathom the Pacers won’t beryllium picking from a heavy class.

"If I were a Pacers instrumentality and my squad traded distant a apical 5 prime for Ivica Zubac successful the mediate of a tanking play I would beryllium beyond devastated," a chap X idiosyncratic wrote.

Indiana Pacers defender Tyrese Haliburton shoots astir connected the tribunal earlier an NBA crippled against the Minnesota Timberwolves successful Indianapolis connected April 7, 2026. (Doug McSchooler/AP)

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The Pacers were without their All-Star constituent defender Tyrese Haliburton each play agelong aft helium suffered an Achilles wounded during the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana inactive has cardinal members of that squad returning adjacent season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith.

However, this 2026 draught people is rather the spectacle, with galore believing it to beryllium heavy considering the endowment of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.

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