As expected, Duke superstar freshman Cameron Boozer, the National Player of the Year, declared for the NBA Draft late last week.
He's been viewed as a consensus Top 3 draft choice, jockeying for position with BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Kansas' Darryn Peterson, with UNC's Caleb Wilson looming as a threat to break up that triumvirate.
One of the best possible landing spots for any of the top prospects is a team that is in the lottery only because of a major injury.
The Indiana Pacers are one year removed from playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the first quarter of that loss, Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles, which led to the Pacers effectively punting on the 2025-26 season.
Indiana won just 19 games and will have excellent lottery odds to land a big-time difference maker that, in conjunction with the return of Haliburton next year, could put the Pacers right back in contention.
In the latest 2026 mock draft from FanSided, the Pacers are projected to pick 2nd, and after Dybantsa went No. 1 to the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana snags Boozer in an obvious move.
Cameron Boozer to the Pacers in FanSided's latest NBA mock draft
Choosing between Boozer, Peterson, and Wilson wouldn't be easy for anyone at No. 2, assuming Dybantsa goes No. 1 as many expect. Boozer has typically been seen as the No. 3 prospect, but the Pacers likely view it differently.
According to Christopher Kline, Indiana's analytical-based front office would likely favor Boozer:
"While consensus firmly places Cameron Boozer third in this draft, he's the most dominant freshman since Zion Williamson. He's also a half-year younger than both AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. If there's a team willing to "reach" on Boozer — and this writer would not consider this an actual reach — it's probably the Pacers, with an analytics-leaning front office that typically puts special emphasis on feel.Christopher Kline, FanSided
Boozer's brain works at warp speed; he reads the floor several steps ahead of the defense and has so many ways to punish lapses. Boozer is an incredibly versatile scorer, with bully-ball strength on the block, an easy 3-point shot and real functionality as a ball-handler out of the pick-and-roll. He's a limited athlete, to be clear, but his strength will translate, and he's so skilled and so smart that he reduces those concerns considerably. He will hammer the glass, embrace a chameleonic role and render consistent winning plays for a Pacers team ready to flip the switch back to title contention."
Boozer is used to winning, so going somewhere like Indiana that is built to win right away would be a perfect fit for him instead of falling into a basketball wasteland like Sacramento or Brooklyn.
Alongside Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac, the Pacers would have one of the best frontcourts in the league. He could play alongside either, or both, while being the eventual replacement for Siakam, who is 31 and has two years left on his contract.
A Haliburnton-Boozer two-man game would be devastating at the next level, with the Pacers jumping right back into title contention after a one-year blip.
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