Future Draft Picks Indiana Pacers Can Trade After Draft Lottery Loss

BusinessSportsMoneyFuture Draft Picks Indiana Pacers Can Trade After Draft Lottery LossByTony East,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tony East is an Indiana-based writer who covers the Pacers and Fever.Follow AuthorMay 31, 2026, 10:35pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Kevin Pritchard watches from the sideline during the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on March 21, 20005. The Clippers defeated the Trail Blazers 96-89. (Photo by Kirby Lee/WireImage)WireImageCHICAGO – The Indiana Pacers don’t have a single pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. They traded away their first-round selection back in February, officially losing it during this month’s NBA Draft Lottery. Their second rounder is owned by the Memphis Grizzlies thanks to a string of transactions that started back in 2021. That leaves the Pacers as one of two teams (Portland Trail Blazers) without a selection in the coming draft as of now.The Pacers would have loved to get a top-four pick in the 2026 draft. It is considered a strong group of prospects at the top. But they lost the pick, sending it to the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade to acquire Ivica Zubac, and now have to pivot. One way they can do so is trading other draft picks.They have more available now despite losing their pick this year. President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard hinted at this when speaking to reporters just after his franchise was hit with poor lottery luck.“We have some flexibility. We have five of our next six years [of first-round draft picks],” Pritchard said. “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. And we’ve got a full slate, five out of six.”What can the Pacers do with their fut...