The Los Angeles Clippers emerged as winners of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, securing the fifth overall pick in a pivotal moment for the franchise.
The Clippers did not have their own first-round pick this year, a consequence of the 2019 trade that sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite a 42-40 record and a Play-In Tournament exit against the Golden State Warriors, they still had a chance to land a high selection through a deadline deal.
That chance came from a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers, which sent center Ivica Zubac and 2023 first-round pick Kobe Brown to Indiana in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 first-round pick. The Clippers would receive the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick only if Indiana did not land in the top four after a 19-63 season. If the pick did not convey, the Clippers would get an unprotected 2031 first-round pick from the Pacers.
Rishabh Desai, the Clippers’ executive director of basketball operations, represented the team in the lottery room. He wore the first suit and tie given to him by the late Jerry West, the Hall of Famer who served as a special consultant for the Clippers from 2017 until his death in 2024. That lucky charm paid off when the fifth pick was revealed to be the Clippers’.
“Amazing,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said.
Trading Zubac was a difficult decision. The Clippers only considered it after James Harden was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank explained in February that the team needed to bridge its current era to the next. “We told Zu, ‘We’re not looking to trade you,’” Frank said. “But if someone makes us a ‘Godfather-type’ offer, we have to look at it. … There’s not much left in the piggy bank in terms of premium picks. … This offer was too good to refuse, and it gives us upside through drafting, trades, or cap space to return to contender status.”
The Clippers have never held the fifth overall pick before. Their last top-five selection came in 2009, when they won the lottery and drafted six-time All-Star Blake Griffin—the only player in franchise history with over 10,000 points since the team moved from Buffalo to California in 1978. Griffin was later traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2018, a move that ultimately helped set the stage for this year’s pick. Now, the Clippers have a new lifeline for retooling a roster that has been competitive but failed to win a playoff series since their 2021 conference finals appearance.
