Boston Celtics Trade Target Moved to East Rival at Deadline

The Celtics made the move for a big man that everyone expected, but he might have been a backup plan. The guy Boston wanted months ago and who seemed off the table ended up moving to a conference rival.

Feb 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When the Celtics acquired Anfernee Simons, the prevailing wisdom was always that he’d be moved for a big man. It was so expected, in fact, that the Celtics never held an introductory press conference when the trade happened, instead waiting until Media Day for Simons to make his first public comments.

Eventually, Simons went to Chicago for Nikola Vucevic, who is not on the Celtics injury report for Friday’s game against Miami. The trade is now official, and Simons has already suited up for the Bulls, so Vucevic is expected to make his debut against the Heat. 

However, the Celtics were rumored to be pursuing a different center earlier in the season. HoopsHype reported last week that Boston made a pitch to the LA Clippers for Ivica Zubac. 

“When the Clippers were struggling with a 6-21 record to begin the season, the Celtics inquired about an exploratory framework around Simons, a first-round pick, and a future first-round pick swap for Ivica Zubac and salary filler, which didn’t gain any traction,” he reported.

From there, the Clippers got better, and the smoke around a Zubac deal died down. But once James Harden decided he wanted out of Los Angeles, the tinder caught a spark again, and suddenly Zubac was back in demand. 

This time the Clippers were listening. 

In a late-breaking deadline deal, they decided to send Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and one second-round pick, according to ESPN. 

On the one hand, it’s probably disappointing to see a better center on a cheaper contract go to an Eastern Conference rival. When Tyrese Haliburton comes back from his Achilles tear, he’ll walk into a situation that mirrors the Pacers with Myles Turner. Turner and Zubac are different players, but their impacts will likely be similar, and that will make the Pacers a tough roadblock for the Celtics. 

On the other hand, it would have been difficult to beat the Pacers price. The key to this deal seems to be the addition of a uniquely protected pick in this year’s loaded draft. The pick is protected 1-4 and then 10-30. So if it lands in spots 5-9, it will go to the Clippers. 

It’s a tantalizing bet that Boston couldn't match. The Pacers are bad this season, and there's a chance the Clippers could get lucky and snag a top five or 10 pick. Whatever pick Boston is offering will probably not be a lottery pick, and if things go well, it will end up in the bottom five. 

The addition of Mathurin and Jackson is probably equal to the players Boston was offering. Mathurin is averaging nearly 18 points per game this season while shooting 37% from three. His advanced metrics compare favorably to Simons', so the draft picks end up being how Indiana’s bid won. In addition to the 2026 pick (which converts to an unprotected 2031 pick if it doesn’t convey this year), the Pacers have included an unprotected 2029 pick. 

It’s not out of the question for Boston to be good at that point, so the Clippers likely took a much better deal. It will sting to see the guy they wanted four times a year as a member of a rival team, but Boston was never going to be able to match the types of picks Indiana included.