The Indiana Pacers have had a brutal season with Tyrese Haliburton out with a torn Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Pacers have known it was going to be a gap year for them, but that didn’t mean they would forgo big plans for returning to Eastern Conference prominence next season.
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Indiana has been desperate to find a big man to replace Myles Turner, who left in free agency this past summer. The Pacers have done just that and actually upgraded from what Turner gave them.
The Pacers are trading Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick to the LA Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.
It’s a big shift for the Pacers getting their big man for next season (and beyond), while the Clippers may have punted on all of their progress over the last month and a half of play.
Is this the right move for the Clippers? Are the Pacers overspending? Let’s bust out the red pen and throw some grades on this trade.
Pacers receive Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown
Zubac does change the Pacers in a couple of ways. First and foremost, he gives them a very good defensive big man who will protect the rim and rebound on that end of the floor. Zubac’s progression and development has been one of the biggest reasons the Clippers were able to build up such a great defense all over the floor the last few seasons.
He doesn’t block a lot of shots, but he does cut off the paint really well. The 28-year-old can move his feet on the perimeter, although you’re probably playing him much closer to the paint if you can. Despite becoming a pretty solid defense last season during the second half and through their unbelievable playoff run, the Pacers greatly suffered on the defensive boards. They ranked 20th in the league by season’s end. Zubac had last year’s Clippers team No. 1 in the league in defensive rebounding rate.
He’s also an expert pick-and-roll big man. After going to James Harden University the last two years to navigate every angle and situation of a pick-and-roll, he’s a perfect partner for Haliburton when he returns next season. Zubac doesn’t pop to the perimeter like Turner, so they’ll have to change some of that game plan. However, he creates for more gravity going to the hoop on the pick-and-roll possessions, and that should open things up for the shooters on the floor. Also, he’s one of the best screen setters in the league, and Haliburton will benefit a lot just from that.
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Zubac also has one of the best contracts in the league for a player of his caliber. After this season, he’s signed for two more years at $20.3 million and $21.7 million, respectively. A player of his value and production would likely be well over $30 million per season. The Pacers get a couple of years at a massive discount here. They give up potentially some major draft capital, and Mathurin is a good young wing, but this fills a need where they weren’t going to find a better solution.
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Grade: A
Clippers receive Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, one second-round pick
First question getting asked after the Clippers gave up on Zubac and moved Harden for Darius Garland: Have they essentially bailed on this season?
The Clippers got off to a horrific start (6-21), but turned things around over the last 23 games (17-6). They’re up to ninth place in the Western Conference standings, and they have a shot at catching the Golden State Warriors for a top-eight position and a more advantageous Play-In Tournament position.
Could this mean a big time punishment is coming from the alleged cap circumvention regarding Kawhi Leonard and a team sponsorship from years ago?
Not necessarily. Maybe that’s the case, but the Clippers also have been prioritizing the summer of 2027 for flexibility, likely signaling the end of this group regardless of where the team is (short of title contention). It’s why they let Paul George go two years ago. It’s why they weren’t going to give Harden longer-term money, and he wanted out. The Clippers have been looking to a possible makeover happening a little over a year from now. That could have included Zubac on the roster, but it seems they couldn’t pass up getting into the draft capital game.
The biggest part of this deal is the draft picks. The Clippers receive Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick. Considering the Pacers are 13-38 and last in the Eastern Conference, that’s a good item to have. But the protections on it only convey the pick if it lands in the 5-9 range in the draft. (It’s 1-4 and 10-30 protected.) If it doesn’t convey, the Clippers will receive the 2031 first from Indiana without any protections.
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The other first-round pick is their unprotected 2029 first. Remember, the Clippers lose their first-round pick to Oklahoma City this season. It’s currently a lottery pick and doesn’t matter where it lands. So, the Clippers either get a valuable top-10 pick between five and nine this year, or they have some good future draft capital to use or trade. The Clippers don’t have control of their own picks until 2030, so that’s big for them.
As for Mathurin, he’s a good, young scorer with a lot of potential on the wing. But he’s also a restricted free agent this summer. If the Clippers are going to retain him, I’d imagine they believe they can get him at a good price that doesn’t eat too much into their cap flexibility beyond this season. He’s a good wing for them to invest in, and his play hasn’t been so amazing that you’d expect him to receive massive offer sheets from other teams this summer.
The grade is a little lower just in case that 2026 first-round pick doesn’t convey to the Clippers in the 5-9 range. And we don’t know what the future holds for those other picks and where they’ll land.
Grade: B