In 2024, the Indiana Pacers traded their 2026 first-round pick to the Toronto Raptors as part of the deal that landed them Pascal Siakam. However, it ultimately landed in the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, and this past offseason, Indiana got its pick back.
Or, maybe it wasn't officially the offseason for the Pacers since they were in the midst of the NBA Finals. But technicalities aside, this move, which was not considered much of anything at the time, is looking better by the day.
The Pacers traded their No. 23 pick of this year's draft (which became forward Asa Newell, who scored 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting in his second career game with the Atlanta Hawks) and the draft rights to Mojave King. In exchange, they got their 2026 pick back.
Initially, it seemed like Indiana made this move to secure another possible trade asset.
Under the Stepien Rule, NBA teams are required to own at least one first-round pick in two consecutive seasons. Because the Pacers didn't have their 2026 first-round pick, they wouldn't have been able to trade their 2027 first-round pick or their first-round pick from this past draft. This deal, in turn, would give them more trade flexibility.
However, in a twisted turn of events, this seemingly minor move may be the Pacers' saving grace.
Again, the Pacers made this trade with New Orleans during the NBA Finals. But more specifically, they made it before Game 7, which fans all around the globe know is when Tyrese Haliburton suffered a brutal Achilles injury, which will sideline him for the entire 2025-26 season.
There was no way for Indiana to know this would happen ahead of time, but the fact that it re-acquired its own pick just before its star guard went down with an injury is a huge coincidence that will likely work out in its favor.
I think New Orleans would like a mulligan on this trade if they could https://t.co/Uu39lE5HqD
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) October 29, 2025
As it stands, there is a high expectation that the Pacers won't be competitive this season. But at the very least, they will be able to reap the rewards of whatever comes their way around draft season, whether it turns out to be a lottery pick or not.
The Pacers may be lottery-bound this season
One week into the new NBA season, and the Pacers are still looking for their first win.
At 0-4, they are just one of three winless teams in the league (including the 0-5 Brooklyn Nets and 0-4 Pelicans, ironically enough). However, Indiana's brutal start to the season goes way past its record.
The Pacers are already dealing with some big injuries that will greatly impact their chances of being successful this season. And it's not even just Haliburton.
So far, the following Pacers, in addition to the Wisconsin native, are currently on the shelf, with most of them not having a concrete timetable for their return:
- T.J. McConnell (hamstring)
- Andrew Nembhard (shoulder)
- Bennedict Mathurin (toe)
- Obi Toppin (foot)
- Kam Jones (back)
- Taelon Peter (groin)
- Johnny Furphy (foot)
Indiana's injured reserve alone could probably at least be a Play-In team (when fully healthy, of course).
Additionally, largely due to all their injuries, the Pacers' offense has taken a colossal hit. After ranking second and ninth in the NBA in offensive rating in each of the past two seasons, respectively, their 105.5 offensive rating ranks as the third-worst through four games.
For some context, if they keep this up, their offensive rating will be their lowest since the 2015-16 season (104.6). This was Myles Turner's rookie season, to add even more context.
The Pacers will get healthy again, and with Rick Carlisle still running the show, it's hard to count them out. But the numbers don't lie, and the eye test doesn't lie. They are not a good basketball team right now, and their immediate outlook looks incredibly bleak.
But just imagine how much worse things would be if they hadn't made that trade with the Pelicans back in June.