Why the Wizards gave the Pacers two picks to move up one spot in NBA Draft

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers turned one step back in the draft order on Thursday night into two picks thanks to a sudden interest from multiple teams in French wing Bilal Coulibaly.

Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said the Pacers were sold on Houston forward Jarace Walker when their number came up for the seventh pick, but multiple teams coveted Coulibaly, the 6-6 wing and Metropolitans 92 teammate of No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama.

Trading with the Washington Wizards at No. 8 made the most sense because it minimized the risk that the Pacers would lose a chance at Walker and they were still able to add a few assets. They grabbed two second-round picks in the 2028 draft. Washington was willing to trade up one spot to keep another team from jumping ahead of them and taking Coulibaly.

"I think at that point in the draft, teams start chaslng certain players based on where they're at," Buchanan said. "We tried to be opportunistic. We had a couple of teams who were chasing a player who ended up getting picked who was not our target. So we were were able to move pack a little bit and pick the player who we targeted and pick up some additional assets along the way. That's how that all played out."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers: How they got two picks from the Wizards to move up one spot