How Indiana’s 2026 First-Round Pick Helped Build the Pacers’ Starting Frontcourt

NBA teams talk all the time about “asset management,” which is usually code for holding onto draft picks until the right star becomes available. Most future firsts either get used, traded once, or tossed around in fake trade machine deals online before eventually becoming the 24th pick in an average draft.

But every once in a while, one pick develops a story of its own.

That’s exactly what happened with Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick. In just two years, the selection was traded from Indiana to Toronto, then to New Orleans, back to Indiana, and eventually to the Los Angeles Clippers. Along the way, it helped land three different starters: Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, and Ivica Zubac.

The Siakam Trade

On January 17, 2024, the Indiana Pacers made an incredible move that would soon put their franchise into championship contention. They acquired Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round draft picks.

Two of the three first-round picks acquired from the Raptors were tied to the 2024 NBA Draft: Indiana's pick, plus a pick originally acquired from the Thunder that became the lowest pick among the Jazz, Rockets, and Thunder selections. The other first-rounder was Indiana’s 2026 selection, which was top-four protected.

The Ingram Trade

Mar 11, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) reacts to a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Nearly a year later, the Toronto Raptors included two of the main pieces from their Pascal Siakam trade to acquire small forward Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans. Toronto sent Indiana’s 2026 pick and Bruce Brown out in the deal.

The NBA Finals Pick Swap

NBA draft deal: The Indiana Pacers are trading their No. 23 pick and the rights to Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans for Indiana's own 2026 first-round pick back which the Pelicans had previously acquired, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 17, 2025

Four months later, during the heated NBA Finals, Indiana decided to make another transaction with the New Orleans Pelicans, but this time it was with new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars. Indiana sent Mojave King and its 2025 first-round pick, which became the 23rd overall selection in the draft, to New Orleans in exchange for its 2026 first-round pick.

The original trade that landed Pascal Siakam in Indiana was a three-team deal between New Orleans, Toronto, and Indiana. A year later, Toronto and New Orleans made another deal involving assets from that original trade, and then four months after that, New Orleans included Indiana back into the mix so the Pacers could reacquire the 2026 pick they had previously sent out.

This pick had already been moved three times, and it would end up being moved a fourth time one year later.

The Zubac Trade

Chad Buchanan, Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown | Pacers.com

The Indiana Pacers saw a massive hole in their center rotation and elected to find a center at the NBA Trade Deadline rather than wait until the offseason. With Indiana having a terrible season overall, the 2026 pick they had just reacquired from New Orleans became the most valuable trade asset they possessed.

Indiana used that pick to its advantage and once again included it in a trade, but this time it was for a starter to pair next to Pascal Siakam — the very player the pick was originally moved for.

The Pacers and Clippers struck a deal that landed Indiana another starter in Ivica Zubac.

What if Indiana Not Reacquired the 2026 First Round Pick from New Orleans

Feb 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Indiana’s 2026 pick has been passed around more than a rumor in the halls of a high school, but as it traveled from Indiana to Toronto, then to New Orleans, back to Indiana, and now to Los Angeles, it was ultimately moved for three starters: Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, and Ivica Zubac.

When the Pacers sent this pick to the Clippers with top-four protection attached to it, they understood the risk involved. But what if they had elected to keep the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and gone forward without reacquiring their 2026 first-round pick?

There is a very real world where Indiana has no Ivica Zubac, no chance at a top-four pick, and has to trade away pieces of its main core to find the missing piece to the roster.

It’s wild how much this pick has moved around in just two years, but it also shows how valuable future draft picks are around the NBA.

Final Thoughts

Indiana needed a win-now center, and it got one. The Raptors needed a win-now wing in Brandon Ingram, and they got one. And when the Pacers desperately needed a co-star to pair alongside Tyrese Haliburton, they found one when they traded for Pascal Siakam.

The front office had the awareness to know when to move three picks for a star. They knew when to reacquire their 2026 first-round pick before knowing what would happen to Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, making the move strictly for financial flexibility and future asset control. And they knew when to flip that same pick again for a starting center who filled a glaring hole on the roster.

You may not have liked that the Pacers were willing to move off this year’s draft pick if it didn’t land in the top four, but this pick has been more than worth it for Indiana when you realize the team likely does not have its current starting frontcourt without it.

Fans will never forget the sting of losing their lottery pick to the Clippers in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, but that pain will quickly fade if the Pacers win their first NBA Championship with Ivica Zubac anchoring the middle of the floor.

This is one of those rare times where a traded asset gets moved around so much that the story almost writes itself.

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