The Pacers have their new starting center, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Indiana has reached an agreement to acquire Ivica Zubac from the Clippers.
The full trade, according to reports from Charania (Twitter links), Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (all Twitter links), and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter links), is as follows:
- Pacers to acquire Zubac and Kobe Brown.
- Clippers to acquire Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected and 10-30 protected), the Pacers’ 2029 first-round pick (unprotected), and the Mavericks’ 2028 second-round pick.
If that 2026 Pacers pick doesn’t land between No. 5 and No. 9, the Clippers will instead get Indiana’s unprotected 2031 first-rounder, according to Fischer.
Ever since losing Myles Turner to the division-rival Bucks in free agency last summer, the Pacers have been in the market for a new starting center, having attempted to temporarily address the position this season with a combination of Jackson, Jay Huff, Micah Potter, Tony Bradley, and James Wiseman.
Indiana was linked to several starting-caliber centers on the trade market, with a focus on players with modest or mid-sized contracts, such as Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, Walker Kessler, and Yves Missi. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the Pacers made a recent push to acquire Kessler, offering a package that included two unprotected first-round picks, but were rebuffed by the Jazz.
Zubac was the one name continually being linked to the Pacers for much of the season, but it was unclear if the Clippers intended to entertain offers for him after fighting their way back into the postseason picture with a 16-3 stretch. In the wake of the Clippers’ deal sending James Harden to Cleveland earlier this week, Zubac rumors once again began percolating as it became clearer that the organization had an eye toward its future, and Indiana pivoted its attention to the 28-year-old big man.
Zubac is coming off a career year in which he averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, finished as the Most Improved Player runner-up, made the All-Defensive second team, and placed sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
While he may not receive the same kind of award consideration this season as a member of sub-.500 teams, Zubac has once again been a valuable anchor at the five, averaging 14.4 PPG and 11.0 RPG on 61.3% shooting through 43 games. He also has a team-friendly contract that includes an $18.1MM salary this season, with guaranteed salaries of $19.6MM and $21MM to follow.
Those cap hits will increase slightly as a result of the 5% trade kicker included in Zubac’s contract, adding nearly $800K per year, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link). Still, his contract should provide strong value to the Pacers over the next two-and-a-half seasons as the team looks to return to contention after a disappointing 2025/26 showing.
Speaking of the Pacers’ ’25/26 performance, they currently have the third-worst record in the NBA at 13-38. They’re narrowly ahead of the Pelicans and Kings in the standings and just one game back of the Nets and Wizards, so their place in the lottery standings could change between now and the end of the season, but right now, there’s a 52.1% chance they’ll land a top-four pick and a 47.9% chance they’ll be between No. 5 and No. 7, per Tankathon.
In other words, the Clippers will have roughly a 50/50 chance – or slightly better, depending where the Pacers finish – of securing a lottery pick in the 5-9 range of what is considered a very strong draft.
That pick could be the crown jewel of the Clippers’ return for Zubac, but even if it ends up in the top four and Indiana keeps it, L.A. will be on track to receive two unprotected Pacers first-rounders down the road and is adding two young players to its roster in Mathurin (23 years old) and Jackson (24 years old).
Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in 2022, has battled thumb and toe issues this season that have limited him to 28 games, but he’s still averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (5.4), and assists (2.3) per contest while shooting 37.2% from beyond the three-point line. The Canadian guard will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
Jackson, meanwhile, has started 14 of his 38 games for the Pacers this season, coming off an Achilles tear that limited him to five outings in 2024/25. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 16.8 MPG.
The fifth-year center has a $7MM salary for next season and a $6.4MM salary for ’27/28. There’s some injury protection language in his deal, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), but unless he injures his Achilles again, those salaries will remain guaranteed.
Great scorer, great rebounder, great defender.
2 more years (in his prime)
The new myles turner
Nice move indy!
Let’s wait to see what they gave up to get him first.
Indy got a great player. this one hurts :(
Clips got a fantastic return though.
It’s in the article. Mathurin, Jackson, 2 FRPs and a 2RP.
The only teams to not make a trade yet are:
Nuggets – no need
Rockets
Heat
Spurs – no need
Nuggets traded Tyson to duck under the tax. Rockets and Spurs are in the same situation of not wanting to blow it up for a star while their young guys are playing well. Same with Detroit
Mathurin is a FA in 2 months- gonna miss him but zubac fills an important need & doubtful indy was looking to re sign him
Giving up the 1st rounders hurts, but atleast 2026 is protected. Most likely will keep that. Very valuable considering how high it’ll probly be
But they are built to W now
Woulda won the finals
Shoulda won the finals
Nesmith, nemhard, siakam, healthy hali, zubac for atleast 2 seasons… lfg…
Oh wow, well OKC should benefit greatly.
Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick is unprotected
Clippers get Paul George
Thunder get
SGA — MVP
Jalen Williams – All Star
2026 first-round pick – unprotected
4 other first round picks
Is this the last pick the clippers gave to OKC?
Exactly. Why are clippers dismantling a team that was one of the hottest teams and has no draft pick.
From what I am hearing on LA sports radio is that Clipper management has a couple of issues, one was the idea behind trading Harden was his contract they did not want to pay a 36yr old, guaranteed money after this season. The other was that they did not see this roster as a championship caliper for 2026. That more than likely would have been one of the play -in teams. The funny thing is that OKC is feeling real good right now with the fire sale of the Clippers they own the Clippers 2026 first round pick and now the way they are setting up for the remainder of season that OKC may have a lottery pick with this pick.
Darius Garland, Mathurin and Kawhi are going to carry. But regardless, that first round pick given to OKC is a sunk cost. That pick shouldn’t dictate how they run their organization. They got a nice haul for Zu that they might’ve not been able to get this offseason.
Exactly, they would not get past OKC in the first round of the POs. They were also the oldest team in the NBA. Good moves, but it is sad to see Zu go.
They dismantled cause Harden bailed on them
Very good move for the Pacers. They will have a good team when Haliburton is back next season.
As a Warriors fan, this infuriates me. Zubac is so good. Why did GSW not focus on him? Pacers are going to the Finals next season with Hali+Siakam+Zubac
wait and see what the cost ends up to be to get him.
Mathurin = Kuminga
Jackson = Post
2 FRP = GSW has those
I hate MDJ for blowing this.
The Pacers in the offseason dangled Mathurin for Kuminga and the warriors didn’t make the trade.
Dubs held on the bag far too long and only got KP.
Exactly what happened waited way too long.
You’re gonna end up being happy you didn’t give up 2 1sts & Kuminga for Zubac. Dubs not winning anything this season either way & that would have looked terrible for GSW in a few yrs
Not to mention a potential top 10 pick in the draft
Nope, that pick was included. Indy has no 2026 FRP anymore, but who cares? Zubac is top 25 in the NBA right now.
He’s top 25 as far as Europeans, I’ll give you that.
Giannis to the clips in the offseason. Davey is goin to be devastated.
1. Stop talking about me, no one cares.
2. GSW kept all its picks AND got a big = I am happy.
3. The fact that Giannis to GSW was even discussed at all means I get the W. Many argued that it was “pure dreaming”. It was not. It was real, like I predicted first on here.
@ Weakling Davey J
“The fact that Giannis to GSW was even discussed at all means I get the W.”
“FAIL”
Pacers actually got it done… My guess would be Mathurin, more salary and multiple solid FRPs for Zubac. Wonder what the Clippers approach to their season and future is now
You pretty much nailed it, but did you know this info already? lol
Is Kawhi Leonard next?
Thinking the same thing.
Clippers must have some news that the hammer is coming down from the investigation. Harden can maybe be explained with the contract situation, but with trading away Zubsc when they don’t control the draft next year makes no sense.
Hood move for Pacers. I just want to see what they gave up. Has to be Mathurin. Clippers getting younger lols. About time they start rebuilding.
Mathurin and Garland is serious ….
— Charania fills out the details, adding (via Twitter) that the Clippers will also receive a second-round pick and will send Kobe Brown to the Pacers along with Zubac. The two first-rounders going to L.A., per Charania (Twitter link), are the Pacers’ 2026 pick (top-four protected and 10-30 protected) and the Pacers’ unprotected 2029 pick.—
Clippers made a killing. This is better than JJJ trade, unreal. That 2026 pick is GOLD. Silver will make sure its 5-7 lols. Great trade for Clippers. Can not believe Clippers are actually REBUILDING …. good tor them
Heard that if that 2026 first does not fall between 5 and 9 picks, then that first turns into a 2031 first unprotected.
Well you want that 5-8 pick this yr. That is a major player. Pacers luck out and keep it. It’s even getter for them. Top 20 this yr is very good. HU center could go 8-12. He is a solid center prospect for Clippers. Pacers get that top 4. There is a serious SG there for them.
Lol I can see Sterling making sure Clippers get tge 5th pick. There a PF there.
Mathurin will get to show more but he also had that chance right now with Haliburton out.
They didn’t play him consistently. Plus Pacers don’t want to win lol. They want that pick.
They’ve played him as consistently as they’ve been able. He started every game he’s been available this season. 32 minutes a game. Scoring Guards are just easier to come by compared to bigs like Zubac.
This is first yr he’s gotten major mins . Why ????
Cause they know they will not pay him. So show him to move him. Pacers always play that cap game. Mathurin is a starting 2 guard. That they can’t afford to keep. So they have to watch where they spend their money. Zubac was an overpay. You can argue Turner is better. Pacers are playing for next year.
Imo I would start Mathurin and Haliburton. Thats is a serious a d big backcourt. A d young in their prime. That 2026 puck is Huuuuge lol. They will tank for it. Then its ok. They lose it. Its way too much.
Let’s see what they had to pay. I’d say more than what Orlando paid for Bane.
4 firsts??? Way too steep for Zu
Wrong.
Nope
What? 2026 1-4 protected and 10-30 protected? Wow.
That’s gambling by both Indiana and LAC. A team that finishes dead last after 82 games has a 52% chance to get a pick from #1 to #4, and a 48% chance to get the pick #5.
Basically, a coin flip. If you’re unlucky, like Utah and Washington were last year, you drop 4 places. This is what LAC will be hoping for. And Indiana will be hoping they keep their top-4 pick.
Wow again.
They are making that Risk with the expectation of being contenders again next season with Haliburton returning. If they win the bet, they get a good young rookie with Zubac. If they lose they have Zubac and Haliburton returning.
It’s a huge gamble by Indy but it’s all gravy for LAC. They have a pretty good chance at a top10 pick in possibly the greatest NBA draft ever. That alone is worth Zubac tbh. Indy clearly needed a 5 but they don’t need him for months. I definitely would have waited until the summer & I definitely wouldn’t have given up that pick, even with the protections
What does this mean for Turner? They already have Siakam at the 4
Not much since Turner’s in Milwaukee.
Myles Turner has been on the Bucks all season.
I take you mean Walker?
omg…Bryzzo chiming in…with breaking news! hey….
Hali Siakim Zu going to be a really good trio for this pacers team.
But also Clippers well done!!!!
You got Garland for Harden (10 years younger) and now you’ve got two first round picks and Mathurin for Zubac
Maybe now it’s time to trade Kawhi, John Collins is the other guy that probably gets you something decent back in return so maybe trade him aswell. Either way they are getting good returns for their players in a move to obviously get younger but stay a decent side
I don’t understand how the clippers go on a winning tear and then trade some of their best players.
Maybe because management see this team as just going through a good spell, but still just a play in playoff team with no chance of winning a championship.
Lol. That’s a weird protection on that 2026 pick.
Kawhi? Doesn’t really make sense to keep him around any longer. Rebuild.
Yeah, but would any team be willing to pay the price they’d likely want to deal him? He’s healthy now but we all know how that story ends. Then again, his value probably won’t be higher than it is right now.
Also got to deal with Uncle Dennis. I’m guessing MIA have some cush endorsement partners Kawhi could do nothing to promote.
Teams are probably don’t want to give anything up for a dude under an investigation that looks really bad. My guess is that we’ll get some type of resolution after the AS game on this case.
Trading for Kawhi on the last year of his contract has historically worked out really well though. Small sample size of course.
Nothing gives me more joy than seeing the Flippers flame out once again.
It’s a complete IND steal, UNLESS the FRP is 2026, which is likely still going to end up in the lottery with fairly good odds. IND is a fairly young team. Once Haliburton is back, its hard to see them in the lottery again.
The 1-4 protection is understandable. It doesn’t indicate, to me, that they intend to tank. Just guarding against giving away their one chance at a gift from then ping pong ball gods.
The reverse protection (10-30) is very strange here. It’s usually requested by the team receiving the pick to avoid getting a less valuable pick in the back half of the draft. In the current (tanking) environment, though, it’s sort of dangerous. Do the LAC really think they’re better off losing 10-on in exchange for an unprotected 2031 pick? Or was it done at IND’s instance? Maybe they want to go for that the 10th slot and keep their pick. The league can’t like the potential ramifications on the court.
Sad day in Clipper Nation. Zu will be missed :(
The Heat should go grab Kawhi NOW.
Heat or Warriors.
Wow
Pacers fan here, and was skeptical about them moving Mathurin. But he will be a RFA at the end of the season would have hamstrung Indiana if they had to prioritize signing him over getting a starting center. He will thrive in LA, especially paired with Garland.
Zubac is very good and fills an obvious need for the Pacers, though I question if he is worth two FRP. I’m willing to watch this play out and beleive this is a move made with an eye to next season more than this one. Losing Jackson hurts, as he is a decent rebounder and great young second-unit pivot.
I think a couple of years from now this trade proves to be a win-win for both clubs.
That’s a lot to give up for a pretty much just okay center.
As a warrior fan, I got to see a lot of him. He’s really good around the basket, so fundamentally sound, and he’s strong.
He can run the floor and he’s not a one-way center, but plays both ends.
The Lakers probably made a mistake letting him go and I think the Clippers do too.
So tough to find a mobile center who you can throw the rock to and he’ll get a bucket. Has a great bank shot game around the basket with the jump hooks, etc. Can score with either hand too.
Wow that’s pretty high price
I was expecting zub to go for 2 late firsts and random decent bench depth.
Well, it’s close to that.
We don’t know where those first round picks will land if they are out to 2028-29.
That and the Pacers were dying to get rid of Bennedict Mathurin, plus you have to throw in the other kid for the salary.
This is the only trade that makes sense this trade deadline
Wiseman says thanks for those 58 minutes. Okafor says thanks for 3 minutes
I really like the moves the Clips are making. Adding Garland, Mathurin, Jackson and multiple 1st round picks is a great haul for an aging Harden and a very good but nearly 30 y/o Zubac. They should really move on from Kawhi as well and just go full rebuild. They could get a very good haul for Kawhi.
I really like Zu, but that seems like a bit much. I know Math wasn’t sticking in Indy from the sounds of what their negotiations were. Still at least one UNPROTECTED FRPs for him, a really good 1st this year (or ANOTHER unprotected 1st in 2031), and what will possibly be a really good SRP from DAL is a bit much.