INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers entered Sunday afternoon hoping they could finally cash in some karma after years of draft lottery disappointment. Instead, the basketball gods reached for the same script they always use with this franchise and somehow made it meaner. Despite entering the night with the second-worst record and a 52.1% chance of keeping their pick, Indiana fell to fifth and watched their selection head to the Los Angeles Clippers. Just like that, the biggest question surrounding the franchise became painfully obvious: what’s next for the Pacers after draft lottery disaster struck again?
What’s Next For The Pacers After Draft Lottery Disappointment? Indiana’s Cruel Luck Strikes Again
Kevin Pritchard Already Made His Biggest Gamble
President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard apologized for the gamble afterward, but it’s hard to crush him too much for it when many of the same aggressive swings helped build a team that finished one win away from the franchise’s first NBA championship.
The Pacers technically solved their biggest preseason roster problem the moment they traded for Ivica Zubac. After Myles Turner departed last summer, Indiana desperately needed size, rim protection and somebody capable of surviving the heavyweight fights that happen in May and June. Whether people think the trade was an overpay or not, the reality is simple: starting-caliber centers do not grow on trees.
To Pritchard’s credit, there weren’t many realistic paths available to solve the issue. Indiana wasn’t going to enter free agency with enough cap space to chase a premium big man, and this draft didn’t exactly feature an endless buffet of franchise-changing centers near the top. So he pivoted toward certainty. Zubac, a 7-footer who turned 29 in March, is under contract through 2028 and has averaged a double-double over the last two seasons. That’s stability. In today’s NBA, stability sometimes costs more than people want to admit.
Pritchard understands better than anyone that this move was about winning now. He practically admitted as much afterward.
“…You have to swing. 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, but wait til next season. Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship. They’ve proven they can do it and we’ve added a really good center in Zu.”
And honestly? He’s right. Draft lottery disappointment hurts, but banners have a funny way of making people forget percentages and ping pong balls.
The Pacers Are Officially In Win-Now Territory
The clearest answer to the question of what next for Pacers after draft lottery disappointment is this: they double down. This front office believes the championship window is open right now, and every decision moving forward will reflect that reality.
Pritchard all but confirmed it.
“We are in win-now [mode],” Pritchard said. “We’re going to try to make moves this summer — maybe around the edges, maybe big. We’ll see about that.”
That means consolidation trades suddenly become very real possibilities. Indiana has depth, future picks and a roster full of players approaching extension eligibility. Nine players could become extension eligible this summer, which means the Pacers may eventually have to decide who stays before the financial bill arrives like an uninvited dinner guest.
Free agency also presents another pathway. If Indiana declines to guarantee the contracts of Quenton Jackson and Kam Jones, they could access the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That could become important because the roster still has one glaring weakness: a physical wing defender capable of guarding positions one through four. Aaron Nesmith can absolutely defend at a high level, but at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, there are nights where Indiana asks him to wrestle forwards built like nightclub bouncers. That’s not sustainable over four playoff rounds.
Indiana Still Has The Tools To Contend
Outside of free agency, Indiana could aggressively explore the trade market searching for upgrades or even another blockbuster move. The good news for the Pacers is that despite this latest draft lottery disappointment, they still possess one thing every contender needs: flexibility. After conveying this year’s pick, Indiana will still own first-round picks in five of the next six drafts. That is a legitimate war chest.
More importantly, the organization has momentum. It’s easy to forget that amid the frustration surrounding lottery night. This team was one win away from a championship. One. That matters. Teams usually spend years wandering through the basketball wilderness before getting that close. Indiana arrived early, which naturally changes expectations just as quickly.
That’s why the answer to what’s next for the Pacers probably won’t involve patience. It’ll involve aggression. Tyrese Haliburton and is in his prime. Pascal Siakam is coming off an all-star season. Zubac fills a major hole. The supporting cast remains strong.
The difficult part now is climbing from “very good” to “championship good.” That final leap is where front offices earn their reputations or lose sleep staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m. replaying transactions from three summers ago. For Indiana, the sting of the lottery will linger for a while. But if the Pacers make the right moves this offseason, this latest draft lottery disappointment could eventually become little more than an annoying footnote in a much bigger story.
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