Re-Grading Clippers' Ivica Zubac Trade After Bennedict Mathurin's Departure

The Los Angeles Clippers made the decision to let Bennedict Mathurin sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite having Bird rights on him and the ability to match any offer sheet for the restricted free agent, the Clippers chose to part ways with the 24-year-old, who landed a two-year, $16 million deal with New Orleans.

The Clippers could have easily beaten this offer. Instead, they seemingly chose to trade for Max Strus and re-sign Bradley Beal. Whether this was the right decision aside, it brought forth a discussion about the trade that landed Mathurin in LA in the first place.

Mathurin arrived in LA as part of the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers. The Clippers letting him walk for nothing six months after acquiring him raises some questions.

Before we can evaluate and re-grade the trade, let's remember the exact details.

Pacers received: Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown
Clippers received: Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, 2026 first-round pick (became Keaton Wagler), 2029 first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick

In addition to Mathurin, the Clippers acquired two first-round picks, one in 2026 and the other in 2029. They also received Isaiah Jackson and a second-round pick.

The Mathurin aspect of this trade received a lot of attention at the deadline, but it was always about the draft capital. The Clippers were very low on future draft picks, and this was an excellent way to replenish their asset coffers.

So far, the pick element of this trade has worked out perfectly for the Clippers. The 2026 pick the Clippers got from Indiana was top-four protected. Thanks to lottery luck, that pick ended up as the fifth-overall selection. The Clippers used the pick on Keaton Wagler.

As important as Zubac was for the Clippers, ending up with a consensus top-five pick in the draft and the best point guard prospect of his draft class is far more valuable.

Plus, the Clippers still have another unprotected first-round pick coming in 2029. That pick has some serious upside as well, since it's unclear how good the Pacers will be over the next few years.

The Clippers surely wanted to get a look at Mathurin. They were even open to re-signing him this summer. But they would have almost certainly still made this deal if Mathurin wasn't in it. More than anything, Mathurin and Jackson were included for salary-matching purposes.

Since Mathurin was going to be a restricted free agent this summer, the Pacers also wanted to move on from him rather than lose him for nothing. Using his salary and the fact that he is an expiring contract, the Pacers got the starting center they were looking for.

It's not like Mathurin showed enough in his two-month tenure with the Clippers to warrant a new contract. He had big scoring games, but he was wildly inconsistent. He couldn't hit a three to save his life. His defense was questionable, and his playmaking left plenty to be desired. A score-first shooting guard who does little else wasn't really a need for the Clippers.

The Clippers could have tried to sign-and-trade Mathurin or flip him at the trade deadline. But there were no real suitors for the 24-year-old. How little of a market he had this summer suggests that one can't blame the Clippers for letting him go, even if it might make their trade with the Pacers look worse.

Wagler has a chance to single-handedly win this trade for the Clippers. Even if he doesn't work out, we have to approach this from a process-based angle rather than a results-based one.

For a team that wasn't going anywhere and was about to move on from Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, moving on from Zubac was a no-brainer. A return that included two potential lottery picks was impossible to turn down, regardless of the rest of the players involved in the package.

Grade: A

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