All You Need to Know About 2026 NBA Draft Lottery and Clippers Odds

The most important day of the LA Clippers offseason is right around the corner.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 30th pick by the Los Angeles Clippers. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The NBA Draft is a significant opportunity for teams to build toward the future and find that centerpiece to build a contending roster around. That opportunity for the Los Angeles Clippers is up in the air. Their first-round pick belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Paul George trade.

However, the Clippers could find themselves back in the first round. At the trade deadline, LA sent center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and some draft picks.

The Clippers received a protected 2026 first-round pick that could fall to them if the Pacers drop to the fifth or sixth pick. Here is everything you need to know about the NBA Draft Lottery and the Clippers' odds to get that pick.

How to Watch 2026 NBA Draft Lottery

When: Sunday, May 10th, 3 p.m. ET
Where: McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL
TV: ABC or ESPN App

Clippers' Odds to Secure Pacers' 1st Round Pick

Heading into the draft lottery, Indiana is in a three-way tie with the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets for the highest odds to secure the first-overall pick at 14 percent. The furthest they can drop is to sixth, which would head to LA in that case.

The Pacers have a 27.8 percent chance of falling to the fifth pick and a 20.1 percent chance of falling to the sixth pick. So, the Clippers have a combined 47.9 percent chance to select in the first round. Those are favorable odds for LA. It would be their highest selection since having the 13th pick in the 2018 draft, where they selected Jerome Robinson. If the pick doesn't convey to the Clippers this year, it will defer to the 2031 NBA Draft.

The Clippers' social media team has been poking fun at the Pacers on X this week. In response to a post breaking down Indiana's draft odds, LA said, "So you're saying there's a 47.9% chance..."

So you're saying there's a 47.9% chance... https://t.co/10H1jBAdz3

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) May 5, 2026

What Other Picks Do the Clippers Have at Their Disposal?

Regardless, LA still has two second-round picks at its disposal. They have the 36th overall pick via the Memphis Grizzlies, and the 53rd pick courtesy of the James Harden-Darius Garland swap at the trade deadline. Those aren't highly coveted picks, but it's still an opportunity to find value.

Last season, the Clippers selected center Yanic Konan Niederhauser with the 30th overall pick and received guard Kobe Sanders in a trade with the New York Knicks in the second round. Both of these players were valuable contributors in their rookie seasons, so hopefully, LA can do the same this year.