The Indiana Pacers took a massive hit at the NBA Draft Lottery, and team executive Kevin Pritchard didn’t shy away from taking responsibility. The fallout from the Ivica Zubac trade could now become franchise-altering. Because of the protections tied to that deal, the Los Angeles Clippers will now receive the Pacers’ No. 5 overall pick.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” Pritchard posted on X shortly after Indiana fell to No. 5 and officially lost the pick. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck.” The statement immediately grabbed attention because of how direct it was. Rather than hiding behind excuses or lottery odds, Pritchard openly admitted the organization gambled on the outcome. Indiana clearly believed that sacrificing parts of the season and positioning themselves in the lottery would give them a real shot at changing the franchise’s future. Instead, they slid in the lottery and ultimately lost the pick entirely, leaving fans furious after a punted season where they Intentionally lost games to not even end up with their pick
The Zubac trade will now forever be viewed differently. Indiana ended up with Zubac and Kobe Brown, while the Clippers walked away with Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, the 2026 first-round pick that became No. 5 overall, another 2029 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-rounder. If you ask most people right now, it’s hard not to view this as a massively lopsided trade in favor of Los Angeles. From a team that was one win away from the NBA Finals last year, it’s hard to see them reaching those heights again in the near future.
