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The Indiana Pacers are having an abysmal 2025 season. The team is currently riding a 15-game losing streak and owns the worst overall record in the league.
It was expected that this would be a tough season after Tyrese Haliburton suffered a devastating injury in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers are clearly treating this season as a gap year, and are already eyeing who they could add in the 2026 draft.
You never know what's going to happen with the lottery system, but the Pacers are in a great spot to land the top pick. This class is considered to have at least three superstar talents, in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer.
Which of those three will be the top pick is anybody's guess, but there's a general consensus most teams would take Peterson or Dybantsa. However, NBA insider Jake Fischer recently revealed that the Pacers could have different plans if they land the top pick.
NBA insider believes Pacers prefer Boozer over Peterson, Dybantsa
According to Fischer, the Pacers would take Boozer. The belief is that Boozer would fit alongside Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac better than Peterson or Dybantsa would.
“When it comes to Boozer, in fact, there is a sentiment among some rival teams that the Duke star would be Indiana’s preferred selection even if the Pacers were to come away with the No. 1 overall pick because of his potential fit alongside Pascal Siakam and newly acquired Ivica Zubac," Fischer explained.
It makes sense that the Pacers would be most interested in Boozer. Peterson's availability concerns probably wouldn't go over well with Rick Carlisle, and the spacing could be a little awkward with Dybantsa.
Boozer has NBA bloodlines (son of Carlos Boozer) and is frequently praised for his basketball IQ and court vision. The Duke product is averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game this season while shooting 56.0% from the field and 40.2% from deep.
Boozer is a true floor-spacing four who also is no slouch in the paint. Boozer's shooting and touch around the rim could go perfectly in Indiana next to Zubac's elite rebounding.
While it's fun for Pacers fans to think about, there's no guarantee the team even gets a first-round pick at all. If the Pacers' pick lands in between No. 5 and No. 9, it will go to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Zubac trade. However, the Pacers have been so bad of late, it's very unlikely the pick drops past the top three.
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