Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard knew the risk of what he was doing.
He knew the gamble when he traded his 2026 first-round selection, with conditions, among other picks and players, to the LA Clippers in a deal centered around big man Ivica Zubac in February. The first-round pick had stipulations that, if it landed between No. 5 and No. 9 in the NBA Draft Lottery, it would go to the Clippers.
On Sunday, Lady Luck abandoned Indiana, and the pick landed at No. 5 — and in LA’s possession. Pritchard felt compelled to go to X to offer his apologies for his gamble gone wrong.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” Pritchard wrote. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck.”
The Pacers finished the season 19-63 and entered Sunday’s lottery with one of the league’s three worst records and a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 pick. There was about a 48 percent chance the pick would land fifth or sixth, and the Pacers had a 52.1 percent chance of the pick landing in the top four.
With star point guard Tyrese Haliburton tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and missing the entire season, the Pacers barely got out of the starting blocks. They opened the season 1-13 and at one point endured a 13-game losing streak.
By the February trade deadline, Pritchard was ready to make a move. The full trade saw the Clippers send Zubac and guard Kobe Brown to Indiana in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick.
The Clippers won the gamble on Indiana’s 2026 pick and also own the Pacers’ 2029 first-round selection. Zubac, 29, played only five games this season for Indiana after suffering a fractured rib and a head contusion in March. Pritchard maintains Zubac’s services were necessary, not just for this season.
“But please remember, this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year,” he wrote. “We have always been resilient.”
The Clippers’ own first-round pick is heading to the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to the 2019 Paul George trade. That pick ultimately slotted in at No. 12.
Next year, the Pacers are expected to return a healthy core centered around Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. Adding a healthy Zubac to the mix will only increase the team’s potency in the eyes of Pritchard, who said he is willing to live with losing that gamble.
“I’m OK with that,” Pritchard told reporters after the lottery in Chicago. “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.
“So, today it stings, but wait until next season. Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship, because they’ve proven they can do it. And we’ve added a really good center in (Zubac).”
— James Boyd contributed to this story.
