On Wednesday, all eyes will be on the Barclays Center as teams draft top talent in the first round. After finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers were given the 23rd overall pick.
However, during the NBA Finals, Indiana made a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, sending the 23rd pick--as well as the rights to Mojave King--in exchange for their 2026 first-round pick back.
New Orleans received the pick from the Toronto Raptors in the deal that sent Brandon Ingram to Canada, and the Raptors originally acquired the pick in the trade that landed the Pacers Pascal Siakam.
While the 2025 draft class is laden with talent, the 2026 class, headlined by AJ Dybantsa and the Boozer Twins, is expected to be even better.
After it was revealed that Tyrese Haliburton won't play next season due to a torn Achilles, there is a solid chance that the Pacers will find themselves picking earlier than expected, ahead of 23rd, like they would this year.
Not only does missing out on a guaranteed contract this summer offer some flexibility to the Pacers, but they could add an even better player next summer. The Pelicans will pick eighth and 23rd this year, while the Pacers boast only the 54th overall pick in the second round, which is set for Thursday.
While Indiana did not know that Haliburton would miss all of next season when they made the deal, it ended up working out better for them than initially thought, and after a presumed down year next season, they should be able to hit the ground running in 2026-27 with long-term success in mind.