A lot of Indiana Pacers fans are anxiously waiting for May. 10, the day of the draft lottery, to find out if the team will get their first-round pick. As it stands, they have a 52.1% chance of getting it back (which they will if it falls in the 1-4 range). Otherwise, it goes to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac trade.
There are some potential stars in this year's draft class, even outside of the consensus top four (AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson). If the Pacers could add someone like Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr., or Keaton Wagler, that could be a big help to the team ahead of their potential return to title contention.
But with their deadline trade, it is all or nothing for Indiana... and that might not exactly be a bad thing.
The Pacers will be fine, regardless of draft lottery outcome
There are two ways for this to play out for the Pacers.
Scenario No. 1: They get their pick back and are able to draft a potential franchise player. Not only will the Pacers be in an even better spot to compete for a championship as soon as next season, but they will also be in a good position to stay in the title picture for years to come.
That is the absolute best-case scenario, and it is one that all of Indiana is hoping will come to fruition.
But Scenario No. 2 isn't all that bad either: the Pacers lose their pick (it falls to No. 5 or 6 and goes to Los Angeles). They can't draft a Wagler, Flemings, or Acuff (they would have lost on the top four by default), but they still have a talented enough roster to compete for a championship in the short- and long-term.
With Tyrese Haliburton coming back next season, the Pacers are looking to make some noise once again and finish what they started when they made the finals last year. And pair that with the arrival of Ivica Zubac, the presence of Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith, and the improvements of guys like Jarace Walker, they should be serious title contenders again very soon, regardless of how the draft lottery goes.
Would it be nice for the Pacers to get their pick back this year? Of course. Adding Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, or Wilson could be a game-changing move. But is it the end of the world? Not even close.
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