The Pacers certainly have had their draft woes in the past twenty years. But this isn’t a new phenomenon, with multiple major slip-ups in the draft over the entire life of the franchise. This summer, the Pacers are facing one of their most important drafts in this history of the franchise. And as such, we decided to look at some of the most painful NBA All-Stars that the Pacers passed on in the NBA draft for players that didn’t pan out as much.
8. Pascal Siakam – took Caris LaVert
The Pacers can hardly be blamed for not seeing the potential of Pascal Siakam. After all, Pascal went 27th in the first round, so the majority of teams didn’t see the long-term potential of the future all-star. The Pacers instead drafted Caris LaVert who was immediately traded and wouldn’t suit up for the Pacers until destiny brought him back to the Hoosier state.
Because Caris is a useful rotation piece, this doesn’t look so bad, but Pascal would have been a major upgrade and plays a position that the Pacers have desperately needed continuity in for years now.