The Indiana Pacers have acquired Ivica Zubac from the LA Clippers in a multi-player trade, a team source tells The Athletic, filling the hole at center left behind by last summer’s free-agent departure of mainstay Myles Turner.
The Clippers will receive Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and multiple first-round picks from the Pacers. Indiana will also receive Kobe Brown.
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The Clippers will get the Pacers’ unprotected 2029 first-round pick. They will also receive Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick if it lands between the No. 5 and No. 9 slots; otherwise, it will become a 2031 unprotected first-round pick. Indiana will also receive a 2028 second-round pick, originally from Dallas.
After Turner signed with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, the Pacers opted to take a center-by-committee approach, rotating between Jay Huff, Jackson, Tony Bradley and James Wiseman. The lack of consistent production from a big man has negatively impacted the team, which has one of the league’s worst records at 13-38.
With Zubac, the Pacers find their starting center and pick-and-roll partner to pair with star Tyrese Haliburton, who is expected to return next season from a torn Achilles.
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“He’s a top-10 center in the NBA,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of Zubac Thursday. “We have a great need. He brings things to the center position that we haven’t had in my tenure here. If this goes through as it’s expected to, this will be a great trade for both teams.”
“His level of physicality around the rim (is impressive),” Carlisle added. “He’s really one of the most prominent, physical centers in the league. It’s physicality and skill and rebounding and offensive rebounding. And so, this will help our rebounding. We obviously feel the fit is good with Tyrese (Haliburton), Pascal (Siakam) and our other veteran guys and know that he will be very warmly embraced by our fan base.”
Zubac, who turns 29 in March, is in his 10th NBA season. He was named to the All-Defensive team last season, his first selection.
Zubac has always been a strong post scorer, but his game blossomed further while working with James Harden, who was acquired by the Clippers from the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2023. Last season, Zubac averaged a career-best 16.8 points and 2.7 assists to go with a career-best 12.6 rebounds per game. Zubac is one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA, and he is a rare center who offers sturdy rim protection while rarely getting into foul trouble. He makes $18.1 million this season and is not set to be a free agent until after the 2027-28 campaign.
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Zubac was the longest-tenured player on the Clippers; this will be the first season he does not finish with the Clippers since 2017-18. Zubac was traded to the Clippers by the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2019, a rare deal between the two municipal rivals and one that was widely viewed as a steal for the Clippers. The Lakers received Mike Muscala, who had been with the Clippers for only one day after being acquired in a trade with the 76ers, as part of the Tobias Harris deal, which also brought in Wilson Chandler, Landry Shamet and four future draft picks in exchange for Harris, Boban Marjanović and Mike Scott.
The 32nd pick of the 2016 draft by the Lakers, Zubac quickly became a Clippers stalwart. He was installed as a starter immediately, and though he spent his first three seasons splitting time with 2020 Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell and 2019 NBA champion Serge Ibaka, Zubac became entrenched as the starter by March 2021.