Clippers Send Ivica Zubac to Pacers in Shocking Trade Deadline Move

The Los Angeles Clippers trade Ivica Zubac two days after they move on from James Harden.

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Clippers fans began this week expecting very little from their teams before the trade deadline. All signs were pointing towards a quiet trade deadline. With the Clippers having turned their season around and climbed all the way up to ninth seed in the Western Conference, standing pat seemed like the obvious and likely path.

First, the James Harden bombshell dropped. The Clippers moved him for Darius Garland. Two days after that deal, the Clippers traded Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in another unexpected move, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Per Charania, the Clippers get back Ben Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks (2026 first-rounder and Indiana's unprotected 2029 first-rounder), and one second-round pick. Kobe Brown joins Zubac in Indiana, as well.

Clippers Trade Ivica Zubac in Surprise Deadline Move

The Clippers get significantly younger and get a 23-year-old wing with upside in Mathurin. They will have to re-sign Mathurin in the offseason as he is in the final year of his contract, but the talented scorer was a vital part of Indiana's rotation in their run to the NBA Finals only seven months ago. Jackson, on the other hand, can help the Clippers' center depth.

The more important return for the Clippers is the draft capital. LA was bereft of future assets and this helps them replenish their coffers to set them up better for the future.

The Pacers' interest in Zubac was well-documented. After the departure of Myles Turner in the offseason, the Pacers didn't sign a starting-caliber center, and has been playing Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson. With Tyrese Haliburton returning next season, the Pacers wanted a quality big man to get back to being a title contender, and Zubac was arguably the best center they could have realistically traded for.

The Clippers had reportedly turned down trade offers for Zubac earlier in the season. After they got off to a 6-21 start, the Clippers had received offers from the Celtics and the Pacers. Those talks didn't go anywhere, but they seemingly reignited after the Clippers traded Harden earlier in the week. The downgrade from Harden to Garland for this season was perhaps enough to convince the Clippers that this team was not good enough to contend, leading them to pivot.

Now, all eyes are on Kawhi Leonard. Will the 34-year-old superstar want to stay in LA after the team just traded away their second and third-best players. If the organization is signaling that they are not ready to win right now, shouldn't they also consider moving Leonard? Even if there isn't enough time to get a deal across the finish line before the 3 pm EST, one has to assume that trade talks involving Leonard will be revisited in the offseason.