The Indiana Pacers rolled the dice and it came up snake eyes.
At this season's trade deadline, a flailing Pacers squad traded a top-four protected first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a deal for centre Ivica Zubac.
Indiana finished 29th in the NBA standings, giving the Pacers a 52.1-per-cent chance to retain their pick in what's widely considered to be a loaded draft class.
But the lottery balls didn't land in the Pacers' favour on Sunday, as they fell to fifth and the pick went to the Clippers.
Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard apologized to fans via social media.
"I'm really sorry to all our fans. I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up fifth after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting centre to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient," Pritchard wrote.
Indiana's run of bad luck extends to last season's NBA Finals, when star guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles tear in a Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season as a result, and the Pacers sustained various other injuries as they spiralled from a championship contender to the bottom of the standings.
The team appears to be aiming for a return to contention next season, after trading for a strong starting centre in Zubac and with Haliburton set to return.
