Caitlin Clark has High Praise for Pacers’ Trade Deadline Move

The Fever star naturally has a lot of credibility in the market

Jun 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Caitlin Clark attends game three of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

After the Indiana Pacers finalized their blockbuster acquisition of Ivica Zubac, one of the most recognizable names in basketball quickly weighed in.

Caitlin Clark, guard for the Indiana Fever and the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, took to X with a bold reaction: “Pacers 2027 world champions.”

Clark has embraced Indiana's basketball culture since being drafted by the Fever in 2024. She has become one of the Pacers’ most visible supporters, frequently attending games and developing a close friendship with Tyrese Haliburton and his fiancée, Jade Jones.

May 24, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton reacts to a basket by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during a game between the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/USA Today Network via Imagn Images | Grace Smith-Imagn Images

Beyond being an engaged fan, Clark’s presence at Gainbridge Fieldhouse has coincided with success. In playoff games she has attended, Indiana owns an 8–0 record, an impressive mark that underscores both the team’s home dominance and the synergy between the city’s two professional franchises.

Clark’s endorsement carries weight. Widely regarded as one of the premier talents in the global game, her public support of the Zubac acquisition reflects the growing belief that Indiana’s front office has positioned the franchise to contend at the highest level.

The real question is: Is Caitlin Clark right?

There’s plenty to unpack before penciling the Indiana Pacers in as 2027 champions.

How will Tyrese Haliburton look when he returns from injury? Will the absence of a true microwave scorer off the bench, following the departure of Bennedict Mathurin, make Indiana less dynamic offensively? How seamless will the frontcourt pairing of Ivica Zubac and Pascal Siakam prove to be compared to Siakam’s previous fit with Turner? And perhaps most importantly, will rival teams in the Eastern Conference view Indiana’s move as a legitimate threat and respond with aggressive offseason upgrades of their own?

Those are significant variables. And the reality is, the answers is months away.

What we do know is that Indiana’s front office, coaching staff, and analytics department were aligned in believing that Zubac’s acquisition materially improves the team’s championship ceiling. This was not a move made for optics. It was made with conviction.

Reaching the NBA Finals is difficult. Winning a title is exponentially harder. The Pacers were one victory away from climbing that mountain, and getting that close tends to sharpen an organization’s urgency. You don’t forget how near you were to the summit.

That proximity is what fueled this decision. Indiana isn’t rebuilding. It’s recalibrating—with the intention of finishing the job.

So could Caitlin Clark’s bold prediction come true? It’s possible. The path won’t be easy, and nothing is guaranteed. But what’s clear is this: the Pacers are operating like a franchise that expects to contend in 2027—not merely hope to.

And in today’s NBA, belief paired with bold action is often where championships begin.