Pacers President delivers strong message after losing No. 5 pick to Clippers

May 10, 2026 - 23:45

The Indiana Pacers had a difficult season, finishing with the second-worst record in the league as they dealt with the absence of Tyrese Haliburton due to a torn Achilles tendon among other injuries. The team was ultimately hoping to land a high lottery pick to in what would be a bounce back season when Haliburton returns. That, unfortunately, will not happen.

Coming into the NBA Draft Lottery, the Pacers held a 53.1 percent chance of their pick landing in the top four, including a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick. They also held a 47.9 percent chance of their pick landing outside of the top four in either the fifth or sixth spot. The worst case scenario for the Pacers happened, as the pick landed fifth, and conveyed over to the LA Clippers.

The Pacers traded the pick as part of the Ivica Zubac trade with the Clippers back at the February 2026 NBA trade deadline. In the trade, the Clippers received Indiana’s 2026 first round pick, protected 1-4 and 10-30, in addition to their 2029 first round pick, Bennedict Mathurin, and Isaiah Jackson.

Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard was in attendance at the NBA Draft Lottery and hoped his team would land a top four pick and keep it in the process. After the disappointing Draft Lottery, Pritchard met with members of the media to explain his disappointment.

“We’re all disappointed,” Pritchard said at the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago. “But you know I think the message is last year in the Draft, we had a pick. We pushed in this year and we felt like all during this year we really needed a center. Structurally when you look at our team, that hole is something we needed to fill pretty badly. When you construct a trade, we felt a little pressure during the trade deadline to make that trade because of contracts and the way we wanted to make sure we kept our top seven at the top seven. I’m disappointed because this is a great Draft. Everybody says you know why didn’t you protect it a lot a lot deeper. Unfortunately we weren’t able to. That that was the vick for us to get [Ivica Zubac] and you look a lot of these big trades that’s out there, you see four and five and six and swaps around a starter potential and we really think Zu is a great fit for us. And at the end of the day, and this is what is really important, I felt like that championship team we needed to fill that starting center that was priority one because they’ve earned the right to go try to get a championship and that was not doable with protecting this to eight or nine to ten or wherever.”

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

Indiana reporters traveled to Chicago to hear about the Pacers either winning their fop four pick or having it convey to the LA Clippers. After the pick fell out of the top four, one reporter asked Pritchard if it’s fair to judge the Zubac trade given that the pick is now gone.

“I mean, I’m okay with that,” Kevin Pritchard responded. “In life, I guess this gets a little philosophical, but I never feel like you can slow-play your way into success in this league. You have to swing, and again, I wanted the pick. We wanted the pick, and I know people are going to be disappointed, but you have to remember our top seven or eight players are still with us. So today, it stings. We’ll wait until next season. Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship because they’ve proven they could do it, and we’ve added a really good center in [Ivica Zubac].”

After his press conference, Pritchard took to Twitter to personally apologize to fans with his own message about falling out of the top four.

“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” Pritchard said on Twitter. “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.”

Fans on social media lost their minds after the results of the Draft Lottery aired, with many questioning whether the trade was actually worth it.

“I know the Twitterverse is probably going to be a little brutal and I get it, man,” He added. “I get it. My heart was beating like it was Game 7 and to those people, I’m sorry. But I can promise you at the end of the day, we’re going to be an organization that figures it out. We’re very resourceful and our future still looks good. Our starting five is a legitimate starting five and I love our second unit.”