Breaking Down the Clippers Draft Picks, Protections & Lottery Odds

The Los Angeles Clippers' season came to a disappointing end this week as they fell to Steph Curry and the Warriors in the Play-In Tournament. Now, the Clippers have shifted their focus to the offseason. While Kawhi Leonard's future remains the biggest unknown for the Clippers, the draft lottery will also be an integral part of the offseason.

With some draft lottery luck, the Clippers could have a top-six pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. This could significantly change the outlook of the franchise and help set them up for the future. Let's take a look at what the Clippers' draft assets look ahead of a crucial offseason.

Clippers 2026 Draft Picks

The Clippers owe their own first-round pick (#12) to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Paul George trade. They also owe their second-round pick (#43) to the Brooklyn Nets.

However, LA will have two second-round picks, one coming from the Cavaliers as part of the James Harden-Darius Garland swap, and the other coming from the Grizzlies.

More importantly, the Clippers are almost a coin toss away from getting a lottery pick from the Indiana Pacers. At the trade deadline, the Pacers traded a top-four and 10-30 protected 2026 first-round pick to the Clippers for Ivica Zubac. Whether the Clippers will receive that pick will be determined at the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on May 10.

Clippers' Draft Lottery Odds

The Clippers only receive Indiana's pick if it falls between No. 5 and No.9. Since the Pacers finished with the second-worst record in the league, their pick can't fall below six in the NBA draft.

There is a 52.1% chance that the pick will fall in the top four, which means the Pacers will get to keep it. With some lottery luck, however, the Clippers could end up with the fifth or sixth-overall pick in the draft. Per Tankathon, the Clippers have 27.8% chance to land the No. 5 pick, and a 20.1% chance to receive the No. 6 pick.

if the pick doesn't convey to the Clippers this year, it will defer to the 2031 NBA Draft.

Clippers' Future Draft Picks

The Clippers are not in a bad position in terms of future picks, but how good their draft position will be will depend on external factors. The biggest factors are obviously the draft lottery this season and how well the Pacers do over the next couple of years. The biggest asset the Clippers have is the unprotected 2029 first-round pick from Indiana. They will also have a 2031 first-rounder coming from the Pacers if the pick doesn't convey this season.

LA will have a first-round pick in 2027, but OKC has the right to swap picks with the Clippers. Assuming that the Thunder will once again be one of the best teams in the league, the Clippers may get pushed to the end of the first round.

In 2028, the Clippers owe their first-round pick to the Sixers outright as part of the James Harden trade. In 2029, the Sixers can swap their first-rounders with the Clippers as long as LA doesn't pick in the top three of the draft.

Teams aren't allowed to trade away their first-round picks in consecutive years, but the Clippers are still allowed to trade multiple future picks if they are looking for upgrades. Whether it's wise for LA to give up a ton of their future assets in win-now moves, however, is another question.