What you need to know about the Pacers' pursuit of a top 4 NBA draft pick
How can the Pacers clinch a top 4 NBA draft pick? We breakdown all the NBA draft lottery odds for Indiana
Here is everything you need to know about the Pacers' pursuit of a top 4 draft pick: Why do the Pacers need to secure a top 4 pick? The Pacers traded a protected first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the package to acquire Ivica Zubac. If the pick falls between 5-9, it goes to the Clippers.
If the Pacers get a top 4 pick, they get to keep it and an unprotected 2031 first-rounder goes to the Clippers. What happens if the Pacers drop to 10th or lower in the draft? They can't.
The "best" the Pacers can do is finish with the fifth-worst record in the NBA. That means the lowest they -- or in this case, the Clippers -- can pick is ninth. Why doesn't it matter where the Pacers finish as long as they're in the bottom 3?
The teams with the worst three records in the NBA all have a 52% chance of getting a top 4 pick. The lottery determines the top 4 picks so either the Pacers' number comes up or they pick fifth or worse and it goes to the Clippers. For example, the Pacers currently have the second-worst record in the NBA.