Indiana Pacers Lottery Odds Near Coin Flip Chance To Keep First-Round Pick

BusinessSportsMoneyIndiana Pacers Lottery Odds Near Coin Flip Chance To Keep First-Round PickByTony 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 10, 2026, 10:21am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 25: An overall view of the draft board following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 25, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Getty ImagesCHICAGO – The Indiana Pacers will learn the direction of their offseason and the fate of their bold trade deadline move on Sunday. The NBA Draft lottery will be held in Chicago that afternoon, and the Pacers have a lot at stake.In February, Indiana sent their first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade that netted them center Ivica Zubac and forward Kobe Brown. The Pacers wanted Zubac and have had their eyes on him for a while. He nearly made an All-NBA team in 2024-25. But acquiring a player of that caliber requires a significant price.The Pacers sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and a second-round selection to the Clippers. Those are all guaranteed parts of the trade package. They also sent a conditional 2026 first-round selection that makes Sunday such a big deal for the blue and gold.That pick is protected so that it would only go to LA if it lands between five and nine. 10-30 would have gone to the Pacers, as would one through four. The 10-30 part is no longer important, though. The Pacers finished the season with the league’s second-worst record, meaning their first-round draft pick can only fall as low as sixth overall.That’s why the Draft Lottery is so important for the Pacers. The first four selections in the NBA Draft are determined by the lottery drawing,...