The Indiana Pacers Need to Be Serious About Tanking

Indiana can't miss out on a franchise altering opportunity

Feb 2, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) reacts in the second half against the Houston Rockets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

If Indiana is serious about keeping its 2026 first-round pick, they MUST EMBRACE THE TANK.

Not flirt with it. Not “compete hard but come up short.” Not accidentally win three games in a week because the vibes were good.

Embrace it.

Time and time again, we hear that the Indiana Pacers want to go out there and compete and “do things the right way.”

Newsflash: there is NO SUCH THING as the right way when it comes to tanking.

Some in the basketball world have said there’s a difference between “ethical tanking” and “unethical tanking.” That’s adorable. Tanking is tanking. The standings don’t award moral victories. They award lottery odds.

When analysts criticize the Utah Jazz for playing their best players three quarters and then sitting them in the fourth, I have to laugh. If you’re trying to keep your pick, that’s not disgraceful — that’s genius.

This isn’t a Utah Jazz problem. This isn’t a Washington Wizards problem. This is an NBA structure problem.

The system, as currently set up, is flawed beyond repair. If the league truly wanted to eliminate tanking, it would overhaul the lottery entirely. Until then, teams would be foolish not to use the system as it exists.

And here’s where it gets real for Indiana.

Feb 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) reacts during overtime against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Kevin Pritchard and the front office didn’t just trade draft capital at the deadline, they traded protections. If their 2026 pick falls between FIVE and NINE, it goes to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Five through nine.

That’s the danger zone.

That’s the nightmare scenario.

🚨CROSSOVER POD🚨@PacersPostUp joined for a crossover podcast.

Pt. 1 on Pacers Post Up:
-Blowing the Tank Job
-Furphy Injury
-Kobe Brown
-Zubac Trade Grade
🔗 https://t.co/eRBf0j9MdW

Pt. 2 on STP
-Expansion Draft
-Top 8 to protect
-Roster Holes
🔗 https://t.co/8PTYSWmfku pic.twitter.com/MosPJgdngz

— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) February 12, 2026

There are currently eight teams openly tanking: Indiana, Sacramento, Washington, Brooklyn, Memphis, Utah, Dallas and Chicago. Milwaukee and New Orleans are in the bottom ten, but Milwaukee is still chasing relevance and New Orleans doesn’t even control its pick.

Of Indiana’s 27 remaining games, they have 6 games against the “Tanking 8”. They need to lose them all. Washington twice, Brooklyn, Memphis, Dallas and Sacramento.

Those are not “must-win” games. They are must-lose games.

Three of those contests come right after the All-Star break. If that means extended rest, development-heavy rotations or creative lineup experimentation, so be it.

Last season, the three worst teams won 17, 18 and 19 games. Indiana is already at 15. The year before that, 14, 15 and 21 were the bottom three win totals. In the Victor Wembanyama draft, the worst three teams won 17, 22 and 22.

Indiana is 15–40. Sacramento is 12–44. Washington is 14–39. Brooklyn is 15–38. The margin for “accidental effort” is razor thin.

May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; A person watches the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Now let’s talk odds.

Bottom three record: 52.1% chance at a Top 4 pick, 14% at No. 1.

Fourth worst: 48.1% at Top 4.

Fifth worst: 42.1%.

Sixth worst: 37.2%.

Seventh worst: 32.0%.

Eighth worst: 26.3%.

See the problem?

Sliding from third to sixth doesn’t just “hurt a little.” It slashes your Top 4 odds by nearly 15%.

And if you land fifth? Congratulations. The Clippers say thank you.

It would be shocking if Indiana fell below eighth in the inverse standings, but climbing out of the bottom three is very possible if they start stacking meaningless wins in March.

This is an opportunity the Pacers haven’t had since they drafted Rik Smits second overall in 1988.

12/30/99-Pacer Rik Smits puts a shot against the defense of Charlotte's Elden Campbell during the first half of their game Thursday night at the Conseco Fieldhouse. 2306936 | Steve Healey/IndyStar

Opportunities like these are once-in-a-lifetime for the Pacers. Fans will not be mad at them for losing games. Supporters of this team completely understand what’s at stake and want Indiana to lose games to potentially secure a Top 4 pick in an absolutely loaded draft.

Development can still happen, but this is your one chance to find a franchise cornerstone to add to the Haliburton-Siakam window and then continue into the next era of Pacers basketball with Haliburton once Siakam ages out.

Throwing away a chance at 10-plus years of a dynasty by picking up meaningless wins over the final 10 weeks of the season would be an utter failure by the franchise.