Pacers executive Kevin Pritchard caused a bit of a social media stir after the team lost their NBA Draft pick via trade with the Clippers.

From the day Kevin Pritchard took over as President of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Pacers, he has been tasked with navigating difficult situations and finding ways to turn them into positives.

The reaction was swift after the Pacers (19-63) were perceived to have tanked their season in order to get a high draft pick, only to see that go by the wayside.

With their eyes on returning to contention after a season off for Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers had a shot at adding a top 4 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, one of the deepest in draft history.

If you’re a Pacers fan who spent Sunday afternoon clutching a lucky rabbit’s foot and staring at a TV screen in disbelief, you aren’t alone. The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery was supposed to be the light at the end of a dark,

But when we did this trade, we tried to figure out: if we didn’t get it, are we going to be okay? And we will be okay. We’ve got our top seven or eight coming back. We’ve got some free agency. This team deserves another chance to win it.

The Indiana Pacers saw their 2026 first round pick in the NBA Draft go to the LA Clippers on Sunday afternoon. Kevin Pritchard apologized.