On Monday night, the Indiana Pacers fell behind 3-2 in their NBA Finals matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the Pacers’ 120-109 loss, Indiana’s general manager Chad Buchanan conducted a trade.
According to multiple NBA outlets, the Pacers have [agreed to trade](https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1935031006915858941) the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft plus the draft rights to Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Indiana’s own first-round pick in 2026.
The Pacers had previously traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Toronto Raptors in the Pascal Siakam trade. The Raptors later sent the pick to the Pelicans when they acquired Brandon Ingram last season. Now, the Pelicans hold the seventh and 23rd overall picks in the first round in June 25th’s NBA Draft.
Meanwhile, King was selected 47th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 23-year-old New Zealand native is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who’s currently playing in the National Basketball League (NBL) for the Tauranga Whai.
While King still has the potential to develop into a regular member of the rotation, this trade is likely purely about the exchange of draft picks.
**Related: [Indiana Pacers player unlikely to play in remainder of NBA Finals](https://sportsnaut.com/nba/indiana-pacers-player-unlikely-to-play-in-remainder-of-nba-finals/)**