One NBA analyst believes the Indiana Pacers' worst fear this offseason "already happened."
NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes the Indiana Pacers' worst fear this offseason "already happened."
Hughes, of course, is talking about the Pacers losing their 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers because of the Ivica Zubac trade.
"Does it count as good news for the Indiana Pacers that the worst possible offseason outcome is already in the past? When Indy sent its 2026 first-rounder to the LA Clippers in the Ivica Zubac deal, it included funky protections that meant the selection would convey if it landed between fifth and ninth," Hughes wrote. "Well, that pick is gone now, and it shouldn't make Pacers fans feel better that president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is surprised.
"You don't get to act stunned by an outcome that had a 50 percent chance of happening. Indiana's gap year yielded a whole lot of losses and no draft pick, and now Zubac will need to play like an All-Star for a contending Pacers team to ease the sting."
The Pacers needed to land in the top four to keep their pick after trading it with protections to the Clippers for Zubac. The trade sent two of Indiana's first-round picks to the Clippers: one in 2029 and either this year's first if it fell outside of the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.
Because the Washington Wizards moved up in the lottery, Indiana landed fifth, so the pick went to the Clippers instead.
The Pacers could have drafted AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson. Instead, they have to pray that Zubac plays like an All-Star next season alongside Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton.
Zubac played in just five games with Indiana, averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest while shooting 47.2% from the field and 80.% from the free-throw line. Zubac has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Pacers. He enters next season with career averages of 10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
The Pacers had the league's second-worst record this season at 19-63. Haliburton missed the season recovering from his Achilles tear. He will return to the lineup next season, so Indiana will be a playoff team again, but it hurts that the franchise won't get one of the top college players.
"I mean, it was a coin toss," Haliburton said on Amazon Prime. "I mean, the way I'm looking at the last 12 months for me, dating back from June, I didn't think we were really due any luck. You know, it's been a rough 12 months for me. KP didn't have to apologize. They took a calculated risk. I'm still rolling with the decision and I'm excited to add Zu to the crew and I still think we'll be really good beside him. It's how the cookie crumbles sometimes and I'm still really excited about our group."
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