The Indiana Pacers' season has been a massive disappointment so far, but things might not be all bad for the team.
In June, the Pacers re-acquired their 2026 first-round pick back from the New Orleans Pelicans. This was most likely just a logistical trade to give them another potential trade asset, but it's turned into a saving grace for Indiana.
The Pacers started the season 2-14 and are most likely not going to be in playoff contention this season. Given that they were just one win away from an NBA championship in 2025, this isn't exactly an ideal spot for them. However, they may have a great opportunity ahead of them, and Zach Lowe of The Ringer thinks Indiana could be in for a historic tanking scenario.
"This could be the best single-season tanking scenario since the Spurs got Tim Duncan," Lowe said. "A very clearly good team that is decimated, takes a gap year, miraculously gets its own 2026 pick back in a trade...not knowing that Tyrese Haliburton is about to get injured and that whole season is gonna go up in smoke for them, gets everyone healthy, they're not old, and they're just like, 'We'll add potentially the No. 1 pick, the No. 3 pick, the No. 4 pick," ... The finals Pacers are going to come back sans Myles Turner with a top-five pick."
The Pacers can draw inspiration from Tim Duncan and the Spurs
For those unaware of the Tim Duncan anecdote, let me explain.
The San Antonio Spurs had been led by some guy named David Robinson for seven years (maybe you've heard of him. He was the No. 1 overall pick in 1987, won the MVP award in 1994-95 and was a top candidate for numerous other seasons, won the Defensive Player of the Year in 1991-92, and ended his career as a 10-time All-Star, among many other accolades, and is now a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame). However, a back and foot injury limited him to just six games in 1996-97.
Mostly without Robinson, San Antonio finished the season 20-62, won that year's draft lottery, and ultimately drafted Tim Duncan (who is another guy you may have heard of. His resume is simply too long to even start mentioning in this blurb, but just know that he is widely considered to be the greatest power forward to ever step foot on an NBA court).
With Duncan leading the way, the Spurs won five championships (including two with Robinson still on the team) and are now considered one of the greatest franchises in league history.
As Lowe said, the Pacers should be able to re-enter the title picture once Haliburton returns. They will still have some problems to address (especially regarding their center situation), but there are more reasons than not to believe that they can become serious title contenders sooner rather than later.
Is there a Duncan equivalent in the 2026 NBA Draft? Most likely not. But that doesn't mean there aren't potential stars in the class. And the Pacers may have an incredible opportunity to snag one of them and have a Spurs moment of their own.