The Best Possible Outcome for the Indiana Pacers in the 2026 NBA Draft

The sting of the Pacers not retaining their top-four pick is still hanging over the fan base, but the front office has had to move forward.

Head Coach, Rick Carlisle, was the first to mention the Pacers have a contingency plan if their pick fell out of the top-five, and now fans are speculating, "what could that be"?

Indiana is limited with how they can add talent to their roster, but they still have multiple routes to take: they can make a trade, they can use their mid-level exception, or they can trade back into the draft.

While fans won't be eager to tune into the draft with the Pacers having zero picks, here is what a perfect NBA Draft night would look like for the Indiana Pacers.

Trade Into the Second Round of the NBA Draft

pop carlisle — Mar 12, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle in the first half at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan and Ted Wu pickup the phone and give their ole pals in San Antonio a call and say, "Hey, remember the last two NBA Drafts when we made trades with you to move up in the second-round? Well, we're here to do it again..."

R.C. Bufford, Gregg Popovich, and Brian Wright answer back, "We were waiting on you to call...let's make a deal!"

The Pacers and Spurs agree to a deal that lands Indiana the 35th overall pick from San Antonio. Indiana sends a second-round pick in 2029 (via Washington), and cash considerations for pick No. 35.

Address the Center Depth by Selecting Luigi Suigo

After acquiring the 35th pick from the Spurs, the Indiana Pacers select Luigi Suigo, an international center from Italy that has been playing for KK Mega Basket (Serbia).

The 7-foot-4 center will need time to develop his game to be able to keep up with the speed and strength of the NBA, but the potential is through the roof.

Suigo told reporters that "I want to be the Italian Wemby". What makes Suigo so intriguing as a prospect is his ability to stretch the floor. With excellent size, a soft shooting touch, and great rim-protection instincts, there is a ton of intrigue for the Pacers to invest in young player that might not be able to help them in this two-year window.

At just 19 years old, Suigo has a 7-foot-5.5 wingspan and a 9-foot-6 standing reach. At 289 pounds, there is a solid frame there for the Pacers to work with. Pairing a raw talent like this with Ivica Zubac will not only help him develop his skills, but this is a perfect succession plan for the future of the team.

According to Basketball Reference, Suigo averaged 8.1 points per game on 57.1% shooting. He took 5.4 field goal attempts per game and shot 26.7% from three on 1.9 attempts. While limited in trips to the line, he went 16-21 from the charity stripe, making 76.2% of them.

Rebounding wise, he averaged 5.3 per game, and 2.0 of them were offensive. He averaged nearly an assist per game with an average of 0.8.

Defensively, he was blocking just over a shot per game with 1.1, while playing 18.1 minutes per game. He also committed three fouls per game, which is a foul every six minutes.

A Quiet but Effective Day

Indiana's youth pipeline is thin with players on rookie deals and being able to address that plus improve the depth at a position of weakness is a win-win day for the Pacers.

By having second-round picks available to make a move back into the draft without mortgaging their future, this is a perfect scenario. The Pacers front office has done a terrific job targeting talent in the 25-40 range of the NBA Draft, and giving them another crack at it could pay huge dividends.

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