The Indiana Pacers made an unexpected trade midway through the NBA Finals, trading their 2025 first-round pick (No. 23 overall) to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for their own 2026 first-round pick in return. Mojave King, a 23-year-old in the New Zealand National Basketball League, was also sent to New Orleans as part of the deal.
This immediately made sense for the Pelicans, a team potentially maneuvering for trade-up opportunities in next Wednesday's NBA Draft. But why the trade for Indiana? Well, because it opened up more future trade assets.
This was already an incredibly savvy move from the Indiana front office. But now, after Tyrese Haliburton's catastrophic Achilles injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, it feels downright prescient. Indiana has to feel awfully glad to control their own pick next season.
Pacers look extremely smart (and lucky) after trading for 2026 first-round pick from Pelicans
Since Haliburton tore his Achilles, there's a good chance he misses all of next season. That cuts the head off the snake in Indiana. This Pacers team is still good enough to compete for a postseason spot without him, especially in the East, but the margin for error is virtually zilch, and it's fair to wonder if the Pacers should even want to "contend" when their path to the Finals is virtually nonexistent.
The 2026 NBA Draft features one of the strongest lottery classes in recent memory, headlined by a trio of ultra-talented recruits in Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Duke's Cameron Boozer and BYU's AJ Dybantsa. All three could challenge Cooper Flagg for No. 1 pick honors this season, which is a real testament to their abilities since Flagg is one of the greatest prospects in recent memory.
Should the Pacers decide to embark on a Sixers-style mini tank, it could land them a foundational building block alongside Haliburton for the next decade. Even if they don't land all the way in the top three. It's unlikely that Rick Carlisle will roll over and let his team flounder for an entire season, but if other injuries stack up or Indy just gets plain unlucky, they have their own pick in their back pocket. That was not the case before this trade with New Orleans.
Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers front office had no way to predict this, of course, but it's an incredible stroke of luck and the slimmest of silver linings amid one of the most upsetting developments in recent NBA history.
How many draft picks can the Pacers trade after acquiring 2026 pick from Pelicans?
Indiana has put up an admirable fight without Haliburton in Game 7. If the Pacers opt against tanking, then having more tradable picks is a huge boon. It could allow Indiana to aggressively seek out another star to prop up this lineup in Haliburton's absence, before joining the All-Star point guard upon his return.
Before the trade, Indiana could only trade two future picks — 2029 and 2031 — due to protections attached to their 2026 selection, which was originally sent out as part of the Pascal Siakam trade. Now, as Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor lays out, the Pacers can trade four future first round picks — 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032 — as well as three pick swaps. That is a hefty package for any team.
Smart deal for Indiana. By acquiring their own first next year, the Pacers will be able to trade firsts in 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032. Plus swaps in 27, 29 + 31
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 17, 2025
Previously, they were restricted to just this year, 29 and 31 due to protections on the pick that lasted through 27. https://t.co/e29FUyPFsG
The Haliburton injury sucks. There's no way around it. But at the very least, the Pacers are positioned to navigate this setback better than they were a few days ago, all thanks to a seemingly marginal swap of picks with New Orleans.