The Indiana Pacers are 15-40 entering the All-Star break, and they will likely finish the season as one of the worst teams in the NBA. However, after winning each of their last two games, they could be putting themselves in a tough situation.
Currently, the Pacers own the fourth-worst record in the league. If the season ended today, they would have a 48.1% chance of securing a top-four pick in this year's draft. And if they were to fall out of that range (because they are most likely not going to win their way to the 10th-worst record or better), their pick would go to the Los Angeles Clippers because of the Ivica Zubac trade.
Additionally, they are just 2.5 games behind the Utah Jazz (who own the sixth-worst record in the league), and they are a team to keep an eye on in the tankathon, especially after Jaren Jackson Jr.'s injury.
There is still a lot of basketball left, and the Pacers are certainly going to lose their fair share of games after the All-Star break. But unless they win so much that they can maybe make a postseason run, wins are more like losses at this point. And they could be piling up a bit too much.
The Pacers could have a unique opportunity in the draft this season
If there was ever a year for Indiana to take a step back and secure a high draft pick, it's this one.
The 2026 NBA Draft class is widely considered one of the best ones in recent years, and it's largely because of who is ranked at the top.
Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson are considered the four best prospects in this year's draft. It looks like they all have what it takes to be franchise players in the NBA, and they each have a case to get drafted first overall this year.
If the Pacers could land any of them in the draft, it could significantly improve both their short and long-term outlooks and make them bigger title threats. However, they're going to need a lot of luck on their side, and winning too many games will make things a lot more difficult.
The future is bright in Indiana regardless, and fans should be excited about what the team has in store moving forward. But that's not going to change just how great of an opportunity they have right now to reshape their roster and redefine the Tyrese Haliburton era. And the more they add to the win column, the tougher of a spot they are putting themselves in.