What’s Next for the Pacers After Losing Their 2026 First-Round Pick?

Sunday was a tough one for the Indiana Pacers.

After all the losing, all the inverse standings watching, and all the Tankathon spins throughout the season, the Pacers officially lost their 2026 first-round pick when it conveyed to the Los Angeles Clippers following the NBA Draft Lottery. Indiana needed to stay in the Top 4 to keep the selection, and when that didn’t happen, the pick that so many fans have dreamed about, vanished.

But listening to Kevin Pritchard speak afterward, it’s pretty clear the Pacers aren’t sitting around feeling sorry for themselves for making the deal for Ivica Zubac.

“If you look at where we are now, we have some flexibility in terms of signing a free agent,” Pritchard said. “We have some flexibility, we have five of our next six draft picks. Some of those trades where it’s four and five and six picks, they’re out, they’re done, they’ve shoved their chips in and they’re done. We’ve got a full slate, five out of six.”

That’s the part Indiana keeps coming back to. Yes, losing the pick hurts, especially after the type of season the Pacers just endured. But the organization still believes it’s in a strong spot moving forward because they didn’t completely mortgage their future, and they acquired a capable big man that they believe was the missing piece to round out their core.

Pritchard continued on in that stance, by expressing how much unknown is involved in the NBA Draft.

“When you look at the Pacers, you have to think about this, the draft is important, but it’s sort of hope, and you’re trying to think, ‘How do I get a player for down the line?’" Pritchard explained. “Even the top players that come in this draft, it’s hard for them to make an impact early on, and we’re in win-now mode.”

That’s the mindset now.

The Pacers aren’t a rebuilding team. They believe they have their core pieces in place with Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and now Ivica Zubac anchoring the middle. Adding another young prospect, specifically in this draft, would have made the future extremely exciting, but after coming so close to reaching the top of the mountain in the NBA Finals, this franchise wants to maximize the present, even if it costs them a potential young star at pick No. 5.

Pritchard later hinted that the Pacers could be active this summer now that they no longer have their pick.

“We are in win-now, and we’re gonna try and make moves this summer,” Pritchard said. “Maybe around the edges, maybe big. But we’ll see about that.”

That’s what makes this offseason so interesting. The Pacers lost their pick, but they still have flexibility, tradable assets, and a front office that clearly believes this team is ready to compete now.

“I feel good in that Chad (Buchanan), and Ted (Wu), and our coaching staff, and our players. We’re an organization that figures it out.”

Now we’ll see what they do to "figure it out", as the offseason shifts from the draft, to trades and free agency.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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