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Why do the Pacers owe the Clippers their draft pick after lottery misfortune?
TL;DR
The Indiana Pacers owe their 2026 draft pick to the L.A. Clippers after finishing fifth in the lottery. This outcome is due to a prior trade where the Pacers sent their top pick to the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac.
Key points
- Pacers finished with the second-worst record in the NBA.
- The 2026 draft pick is owed to the Clippers.
- Pick was traded to Clippers for Ivica Zubac.
- Pick was top-four protected.
- Pacers fell to No. 5 in the draft lottery.
Indiana PacersL.A. ClippersIvica Zubac
Without question, Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers seem like the clear biggest loser of the 2026 NBA Draft lottery. Where a long-tormented franchise like the Washington Wizards gets its pick of the bunch in a class loaded with star-caliber talent, the Pacers don't even get to keep their pick after a 19-63 season without Haliburton that saw them finish with the NBA's second-worst record. Instead, the pick, which will be No. 5 overall, is owed to the L.A. Clippers (who might just give it away as a possible punishment for the Kawhi Leonard salary-cap circumvention scandal).
Oh, yeah. It is as bad as it sounds.
But why exactly do the Pacers owe the Clippers their pick?
For those who don't remember this year's NBA trade deadline, the Pacers traded away the rights to their 2026 top pick to the Clippers to acquire underrated big man Ivica Zubac. The pick was top-four protected, meaning the Pacers would've kept it if they had stayed in the top four of the draft order. It's the outcome they were certainly hoping for in an unofficial tank campaign without Haliburton. But by falling to No. 5, the selection is now conveyed to the Clippers. Oof.
Tough luck for a Pacers team that lost its star player to serious injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, which it also lost, within the last calendar year. And kudos to the Clippers for seeing their bet on a good trade return for Zubac actually paying off. If L.A. is set to build a new contending window with Leonard and , this is a solid start.
Q&A
Why do the Pacers have to give their draft pick to the Clippers?
The Pacers traded their 2026 top pick to the Clippers to acquire Ivica Zubac, with the pick being top-four protected.
What was the Pacers' record this season?
The Pacers finished the season with a record of 19-63, marking one of the worst in the NBA.
What does it mean that the Pacers' pick is top-four protected?
Being top-four protected means the Pacers would have retained their pick if they had finished in the top four of the draft order, but since they fell to fifth, the pick goes to the Clippers.