RealGM

The Indiana Pacers have traded their No. 23 pick and rights to Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans for their own 2026 first-round selection.

The deal gives New Orleans two first-round picks in the June 25 NBA Draft, holding the No. 7 and No. 23 selections. The Pacers' 2026 pick originally went to the Toronto Raptors in the Pascal Siakam trade in 2024 before being rerouted to New Orleans when the Raptors acquired Brandon Ingram at the trade deadline this year.

Indiana's reclaimed pick was protected top-4 in both 2026 and 2027. The Pacers now control their own first-round selections for the next seven years from 2026 through 2032.

The trade clears $3.2 million in salary for Indiana during the 2025-26 season. The Pacers project to remain $20 million below the luxury tax threshold and well beneath both tax aprons.

Indiana gains additional roster flexibility for the upcoming offseason beyond reclaiming their future draft asset. The move positions the Pacers to maintain financial flexibility while securing long-term draft capital.

New Orleans benefits by adding immediate draft capital for the upcoming draft. The Pelicans can now make two first-round picks to potentially address roster needs or create additional trade opportunities.

Via Shams Charania/ESPN

It's probably completely unrelated, but to make this trade the day after Tyrese is declared questionable for game six is ominous to say the least.

Paul George, Oladipo and now Haliburton. Terrible fortunes, but for the latter two, they were both rushed back from injury too fast and it ruined their careers.

How are they allowed to make a trade while their season is still going on? The trade deadline passed already...

WiggOuts wrote:How are they allowed to make a trade while their season is still going on? The trade deadline passed already...

It’s allowed because no active roster players were involved. Memphis and Orlando made a trade that is after the trade deadline as the NBA season is still ongoing. However, Memphis and Orlando seasons are over, and the players are not currently active. Similar logic picks can be traded anytime as no active players were involved.

Cassius wrote:It's probably completely unrelated, but to make this trade the day after Tyrese is declared questionable for game six is ominous to say the least.

Paul George, Oladipo and now Haliburton. Terrible fortunes, but for the latter two, they were both rushed back from injury too fast and it ruined their careers.

PG had a surprisingly great career post injury. Oladipo only had one real good (outlier) season in his career before the injury. Haliburton's injury isn't anywhere near that bad, even if he can't play again in these playoffs.

Most likely, they didn't see anyone on the board that would get minutes on their current roster so they pushed it back a season. They save $$ and their pick next season is unlikely to be much later in the draft, if at all.

Haliburton is OK seems he played pretty well in game 6.