The Pacers didn't move up in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, but they didn't move down either. Indiana stayed right where it was in the pre-lottery odds, ending up slotting seventh in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The San Antonio Spurs won the number one pick in this year's lottery, the first time San Antonio has drafted first overall since taking Tim Duncan in 1997. The Pacers still have never had the number one pick.
After not picking in the top 10 of the NBA Draft from 1989-2021, the Pacers will now pick in the top seven for the second straight season. Indiana used the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to select Bennedict Mathurin, who was named to the All-Rookie first team after a stellar debut season.
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton represented Indiana on the stage at this year's lottery, which didn't have any real upheaval until the top five picks. The teams sixth through 14th in the pre-lottery odds stayed where they were, but Detroit -- which entered the lottery tied with Houston and San Antonio for the top odds of landing the number one pick -- slipped to fifth.
Houston finished fourth in the lottery, Portland will draft third, Charlotte second, and the Spurs first.
"It was cool," Haliburton said of representing Indiana on the lottery telecast. "They came to me kind of towards the end of the season, asked me if I'd do it. Just good to be here. I've always wanted to be involved in something like this. Hopefully I don't have too many of these in my future."
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard was in the sequestered room where the actual lottery drawing took place. Pritchard said the Pacers were very close to having the four-number combination that won the first pick, but the final ping pong ball didn't bounce their way.
"We hit the first three out of four numbers," Pritchard said. "We had a chance. My heart was racing. I was pretty excited, but we didn’t get the last number. That went to San Antonio."
The Pacers own two additional picks in the first round of this year's draft -- the 26th and 29th overall selections. Indiana also has two second round picks -- the 32nd and 55th overall picks. San Antonio finishing ahead of Houston in the lottery was fortuitous for the Pacers because it meant Indiana received the 32nd pick instead of the 50th thanks to a complicated series of trade protections.