Pacers' Kevin Pritchard Issues Apology to Fans After NBA Draft Lottery Result

The Indiana Pacers had a rough Sunday night. Their NBA draft lottery pick landed at No. 5, which was one spot outside the top-four protection they needed to keep it. Just like that, the selection transferred to the Los Angeles Clippers, and a trade that was already unpopular around the league got a whole lot worse.

The pick was part of the package Indiana sent to acquire center Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline. The Pacers gave up Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick to land him.

Those first-rounders were projected to convey in 2029 and 2031 but one of them just became the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a far more expensive outcome than Indiana had bargained for.

Pacers president Kevin Pritchard didn't wait long to address the fan base after the result came in.

"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," Pritchard wrote on X. "But please remember, this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient."

What Drove Indiana to Make the Move

The Pacers pushed for Zubac because Myles Turner had departed in free agency, and they needed a legitimate starting center heading into next season. Zubac made sense on paper. He's 29 years old, still in his prime, and earned second-team All-Defense recognition in 2025.

The problem was timing. Tyrese Haliburton's injury during the NBA Finals had already made this season a difficult one and most around the league expected Indiana to treat it as a rebuilding year. The Pacers went the other direction and made an aggressive move anyway. The lottery result Sunday made that decision look costly.

For the Clippers the night went a lot better. They now hold a top-five pick in a draft class that scouts have been high on for months. Names like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson and Kingston Fleming are all in play at that spot.

Indiana heads into the offseason without a lottery pick and with Pritchard's apology still fresh. The Pacers have Zubac and they're banking on him being worth it.

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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 2:53 PM.