![\"Pacers](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779417789_123_0x0.jpg\")
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Indiana Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle talks to players during a timeout in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane)<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 The biggest date of the Indiana Pacers offseason is less than one week away. On May 10, the NBA Draft lottery will take place. By finishing the 2025-26 season with the second-worst record in the league<\/a>, the Pacers will have a 52.1% chance to land a top-four draft selection.<\/p>\n They aren\u2019t alone in having those odds. The Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards share the exact same percent chances at landing a top-four pick on Sunday. But the Pacers do have their own unique outlook \u2013 while they have a 52.1% chance to land inside the top four, they don\u2019t have any chance of having a pick that\u2019s worse than fourth.<\/p>\n Currently, Indiana has 47.9% odds at having their own pick land at fifth or sixth overall in the coming draft. If that happens, the Pacers will actually send their 2026 selection to the Los Angeles Clippers thanks to a trade the team made<\/a> back in February to acquire center Ivica Zubac.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pick protection, it was very unique, obviously,\u201d Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of the situation<\/a>. \u201cWe were trying to protect our upside at the top of the draft mostly.\u201d<\/p>\n What is at stake for the Pacers offseason in the draft lottery?<\/p>\n It\u2019s nearly a coin-flip chance that the Pacers keep or lose their first-round draft pick on Sunday, and the top four prospects in the draft are considered to be very strong. The Pacers could lose the pick, but they wouldn\u2019t have had a chance to grab one of those top talents anyway if the pick falls to five or six.<\/p>\n That said, much of the team\u2019s offseason planning will be determined on May 10. Not only will the blue and gold know if a strong draft pick is coming their way, they will also get important clarity on their financial future. Adding a top-four draft pick would be great for the Pacers, but any player selected in that range will carry a significant cap hit. That would take much of the Pacers spending power off the board in free agency.<\/p>\n Keeping the pick is still by far the best outcome for the Pacers. Buchanan laughed and said, \u201cWe\u2019d like to have a top-four pick,\u201d when asked what his team still needs back in February. But the Pacers offseason will look different if they don\u2019t make a selection high in the 2026 draft. Instead, they might be able to add in free agency.<\/p>\n Currently, the team projects to have just under $200 million in total team salary this offseason. That number would climb higher if a draft pick is made thanks to the NBA\u2019s rookie scale.<\/p>\n NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 23: A Indiana Pacers hat sits on stage during the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n The rookie scale informs the value of contracts for players selected in the first round of any draft. It is pre-determined and rises (or falls) with the NBA\u2019s salary cap<\/a>. Any player chosen in the first round can sign for as little as 80% and as much as 120% of the rookie-scale value, which is based on what spot they were selected. Most players chosen at the top of the draft sign for 120% of their rookie-scale number.<\/p>\n