In a recent episode of the "Game Theory Podcast," Sam Vecenie said he believes the Pacers should tank because it guarantees them a top-five pick and a young ideal fit next to Tyrese Haliburton in the 2026 NBA Draft.
"If I'm [the Pacers], I want to be as bad as possible this year," Vecenie said. "I'm 8-31, or whatever my record is, let's just lose as many games as possible [and] guarantee ourselves a top-five pick. I think all these guys work with their scheme basically ... they end up with [AJ] Dybantsa, great. If they end up with Darryn [Peterson], great.