Pelicans acquire No. 23 overall pick from Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are trading the No. 23 overall pick in this year's draft and the rights to Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Pelicans announced Tuesday.

In return, the Pacers will receive their own 2026 first-rounder.

Indiana dealt its 2026 first-round pick to the Toronto Raptors last season as part of the Pascal Siakam trade. In February, Toronto moved the draft selection to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Brandon Ingram.

The Pelicans also have the No. 7 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected King with the 47th overall pick in 2023. The 6-foot-5 guard is playing for the Tauranga Whai in New Zealand's domestic basketball league. He played in 45 G League games between 2022-24 but has yet to appear in the NBA.

Indiana now has its own first-rounder for the next seven years. The trade also clears out $3.2 million in salary for the 2025-26 campaign, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

The Pacers are projected to be $20 million below the luxury tax, Marks adds.

The move allows Indiana to deal up to four first-round picks and three pick swaps in a potential trade, according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor.