Kevin Pritchard knows is admitting his mistake. On Sunday, after the Pacers lost their first-round pick during the NBA draft lottery, Pritchard took to social media to apologize to the team’s fans for the trade that made it possible. The Pacers finished the season with the NBA’s second-worst record at 19–63, largely because star guard Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. That record gave Indiana the second-best odds to wind up inside the top four picks during the lottery. The Pacers had a 14.0% chance at the top selection, a 13.4% chance at No. 2, and a 12.7% chance at No. 3. Crucially, they had a 52.1% chance of landing inside the top four. Despite their struggles, Pritchard and general manager Chad Buchanan opted to buy at the trade deadline. They acquired Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown from the Clippers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, their 2026 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder, and a 2029 first-rounder.…