{"id":194958,"date":"2026-05-11T09:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=194958"},"modified":"2026-05-11T09:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:17:37","slug":"whats-next-for-the-pacers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/11\/whats-next-for-the-pacers\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Next For The Pacers After Draft Lottery Disappointment? Indiana\u2019s Cruel Luck Strikes Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The Indiana Pacers<\/strong> 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<\/a> 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<\/a> and watched their selection head to the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/a> Just like that, the biggest question surrounding the franchise became painfully obvious: what’s next for the Pacers after draft lottery disaster struck again?<\/p>\n

What’s Next For The Pacers After Draft Lottery Disappointment? Indiana\u2019s Cruel Luck Strikes Again<\/h2>\n

Kevin Pritchard Already Made His Biggest Gamble<\/h3>\n
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May 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; A person walks in the venue before the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard apologized<\/a> for the gamble afterward, but it\u2019s 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\u2019s first NBA championship.<\/p>\n

The Pacers technically solved their biggest preseason roster problem the moment they traded for Ivica Zubac<\/a>. After Myles Turner<\/a> 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<\/a>, the reality is simple: starting-caliber centers do not grow on trees.<\/p>\n

To Pritchard\u2019s credit, there weren\u2019t many realistic paths available to solve the issue. Indiana wasn\u2019t going to enter free agency with enough cap space to chase a premium big man, and this draft didn\u2019t 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\u2019s stability. In today\u2019s NBA, stability sometimes costs more than people want to admit.<\/p>\n

Pritchard understands better than anyone that this move was about winning now. He practically admitted as much afterward.<\/p>\n

“…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.”<\/p>\n

And honestly? He\u2019s right. Draft lottery disappointment hurts, but banners have a funny way of making people forget percentages and ping pong balls.<\/p>\n