Indiana Pacers land seventh pick in the NBA Draft via the NBA Draft Lottery
CHICAGO — The Indiana Pacers now know their fate. They will pick seventh in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.
The NBA Draft Lottery was on Tuesday at the McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, and the Pacers weren't smiled upon in the process. They entered the night with the seventh-best odds to move up into one of the top four picks, but they didn't move up and will pick seventh.
Indiana had a 6.8% chance of jumping up to the number one overall pick and a 29.36% chance of moving into the top four. Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum held up the card with the Pacers logo on it to announce that they would receive the seventh pick, and guard Tyrese Haliburton, the team's lottery representative, kept his stoic look throughout the announcement.
The Pacers selected Bennedict Mathurin sixth overall last season and saw Haliburton grow into an All-Star in 2023. They have a great young core in place, and now they can add to it with another strong draft pick. They, like every team, would have loved to jump up to number one overall and had the chance to select Victor Wembanyama. But this draft is still solid for most of the top eight or so, and the Pacers should be able to add another core piece.
Indiana finished 35-47 and had the seventh-best odds after winning a random drawing tiebreaker with the Washington Wizards. In the end, the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers jumped into the top four of the 2023 NBA Draft order.
The Pacers have five picks in the upcoming draft, but they don't expect to make five selections. They will be one of the most active teams in the league between now and the end of free agent with the number of picks and cap space they have as well as their goals of reaching the postseason in 2024.
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- Indiana Pacers G League affiliate team moving from Fort Wayne to Noblesville. CLICK HERE.
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