Clippers Have an Ivica Zubac Decision to Make With Trade Buzz Getting Louder

The Los Angeles Clippers are at an inflection point with Ivica Zubac after trading James Harden.

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The Los Angeles Clippers were hoping to have a quiet trade deadline. Only days before the deadline, however, their entire plan had to change. James Harden's trade request went public and 24 hours later, he was traded for Darius Garland. While Clippers fans are still wrapping their heads around the Harden-Garland swap, the front office has more decisions to make. Does Harden's departure augur more changes or does Garland just take Harden's spot and it's business as usual?

The biggest decisions are obviously about Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. While there has been little to no chatter about a potential Leonard trade, we know by now that things can move very quickly around the deadline. Where the trade buzz is currently focused on with the Clippers, however, is Zubac. The Stein Line's Jake Fischer reported on Thursday that the Clippers are still getting calls on Zubac, most notably from the Indiana Pacers.

Sources: After trading James Harden to Cleveland earlier this week, the Clippers have still been receiving calls on starting center Ivica Zubac, with the Indiana Pacers prime among his suitors.

More NBA here: https://t.co/xQGgEzSyLj

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 5, 2026

Will Clippers Consider Trading Ivica Zubac at the Deadline?

This is not a surprising development. Indiana's desperate need for a center is well-documented and they have been considered prime Zubac suitors for some time. It only makes sense for them to reach out to check on his availability now that the Clippers may be headed to a different direction without Harden.

The Clippers' front office hasn't signaled an intention of moving more players or Zubac being available. Yet, the Clippers top brass clearly likes to keep things close to their chest, as demonstrated earlier this week with the Harden trade. So, trading Zubac before the 3 pm EST deadline wouldn't come as a huge surprise.

This is a fascinating decision for the Clippers. Zubac is a very good starting center on a team-friendly contract. He is under contract for two more seasons after this, making a little over $40 million combined. He is only 28 and has multiple seasons of high-level center play ahead of him.

Yet, if the Clippers feel like they are not winning a title with the current roster, then they should be listening to offers on Zubac. If they can get two unprotected or lightly protected first-round picks for the Croatian center, the Clippers have to seriously consider it. They can also get back players who can contribute, presumably Ben Mathurin, if the deal is with the Pacers.

A Brook Lopez-Yanic Konan Niederhauser center rotation with John Collins and Nicolas Batum playing some small-ball five if needed could be enough to keep the Clippers competitive this season. It obviously ends all hopes of being a dangerous playoff team, but if it means that the Clippers have multiple first-round picks with lottery upside, it could be a worthy gamble.

It's not an easy decision to make, to be sure, but eyes will be on Zubac and the Clippers in the final six hours of the trade deadline.