The Clippers are going to need some help.
The Los Angeles Clippers' season ended with a play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors, but there is still one more game left to play this spring.
It just won't happen on a basketball court. It'll happen at a podium on May 10 during the NBA Draft Lottery, and the Clippers need the ping-pong balls to bounce their way.
When the Clippers traded Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers at the February trade deadline, the biggest piece they got back was Indiana's 2026 first-round pick, which comes with tricky protections.
The pick is top-four and 10-30 protected, meaning the Clippers can only receive it if it falls between No. 5 and No. 9.
The Odds and What They Mean
The Pacers finished the season with a franchise-worst 19-63 record, which gave them the second-worst record in the league and a 14 percent shot at the No. 1 overall pick.
Because of where Indiana landed in the standings, their pick cannot fall any lower than No. 6, so the only realistic outcomes for the Clippers are the fifth or sixth pick.
There is a 52.1 percent chance that the pick lands in the top four and stays with Indiana, while the Clippers hold a 27.8 percent chance at the No. 5 pick and a 20.1 percent chance at the No. 6 pick.
If the pick does not convey this year, it turns into an unprotected 2031 first-rounder from the Pacers.
That means the Clippers are essentially cheering against the Pacers in the lottery and hoping Indiana's luck runs out when the envelopes are opened.
Who Could the Clippers Target?
The 2026 draft class is considered one of the deepest in recent memory, and the consensus top four of AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson are viewed as the elite tier.
If the Clippers land at five or six, they would likely be looking at guard prospects like Mikal Brown Jr. or Kingston Flemings, both of whom could slot in alongside Darius Garland and give the backcourt a jolt of youth and upside for years to come.
Why It Matters for the Clippers' Future
The Clippers finished 42-40 and already owe their own first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so adding a top-six selection would be massive for a franchise trying to retool around Kawhi Leonard and Garland.
Leonard posted a career-high 27.9 points per game this season and proved he can still be a No. 1 option when healthy, but the roster clearly needs more young talent around him.
Lawrence Frank has already talked about building for the long term, and a lottery pick in a loaded class would accelerate that timeline in a big way.
With Mathurin entering restricted free agency and Leonard heading into the final year of his deal, the next few months will shape what the Clippers look like for years.
But before any of that, the franchise's immediate future might hinge on a little lottery luck on May 10.