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Pacers strike draft trade with Pelicans days before NBA Finals Game 6
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- Pacers strike draft trade with Pelicans days before NBA Finals Game 6
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The post Pacers strike draft trade with Pelicans days before NBA Finals Game 6 appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers have made a trade involving draft picks with eight days until the 2025 NBA Draft.
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After fielding offers for the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft, the Pacers have decided to trade this selection to the Pelicans , along with the draft rights to Mojave King , for Indiana's own 2026 first-round pick, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
This pick was previously traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2024 for Pascal Siakam before being rerouted to the Pelicans this year in Toronto's trade for Brandon Ingram .
By leveraging their first-round pick in this year's draft, the Pacers have come full circle with their 2026 first-round pick, as it is back in their hands.
The Pacers had been exploring trade opportunities for their 23rd pick leading up to this year's draft since almost their entire roster is under contract for the 2025-26 season. With Indiana expected to negotiate a new, long-term contract with Myles Turner , it made sense financially to move on from this pick and find a way to retain assets in future years.
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This trade gives the Pelicans the No. 7 and the No. 23 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Indiana is currently trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder 3-2 in the NBA Finals after losing 120-109 in Game 5 on the road Monday night. These two teams will meet in Indianapolis for Game 6 on Thursday night, as the Pacers look to keep their championship hopes alive.
Many have questioned how the Pacers are allowed to make a trade since their season is still ongoing, but the league allows draft picks and rights to international players to be traded during the playoffs and before the new league year. This recently happened with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 before they won their championship.
In this trade with the Pacers roughly a week before the NBA Draft, the Pelicans acquire the rights to King, who was the 47th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. King, who was originally selected by the Los Angeles Lakers , had his draft rights dealt to Indiana.
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Since then, he has spent time playing in the G League with the Pacers affiliates and overseas in the NBL.
Whether the Pelicans look to continue making moves in the 2025 NBA Draft is the question at large after leveraging a future pick for this 23rd selection. New Orleans has explored the possibility of pursuing the Philadelphia 76ers' third-overall pick , and the Pelicans may seriously consider trading more assets to move further up the draft board.
This is the first of many trades that are expected to take place between now and the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25.
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