The Los Angeles Clippers are finalizing a trade to send All-Defensive center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers, league sources told ClutchPoints on Thursday afternoon.
Along with trading Zubac to the Pacers, Los Angeles is also sending Kobe Brown to Indiana. In exchange for their starting center, the Clippers will be receiving Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a protected 2026 first-round pick, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and a future second-round pick in 2028, sources said.
Although the Pacers traded their 2026 first-round pick in this trade, it comes with major caveats and protections.
Should this pick fall in the 1-4 or the 10-30 range of the 2026 NBA Draft, Indiana will retain this pick and instead ship a 2031 unprotected first-round pick to the Clippers. Either way, the Clippers got exactly what they wanted in two unprotected first-round picks and young talent in the form of Mathurin and Jackson.
ESPN was first to report the trade between Indiana and Los Angeles.
The Pacers had been one of the most aggressive teams on the trade market in recent days, searching for their center of the future. Zubac has been at the top of their list, and while the Clippers have held a strong asking price for him, the Pacers have met that price in the final hour before Thursday's deadline.
After trading James Harden for Darius Garland and clearly taking a step back after their recent surge over the last month, the Clippers turned their attention to capitalizing on Zubac's high value now. Los Angeles owned very little draft capital entering the trade deadline week, and they have now regained a lot of lost value from investing in previous trades.
As the Pacers turn their attention to the future, they will immediately re-enter the championship equation in the Eastern Conference with Zubac as their starting center and Tyrese Haliburton returning from his Achilles injury.
In 43 games this season, Zubac has averaged 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor.
For the Clippers, this trade signals the end of an era that did not progress the way executive Lawrence Frank and owner Steve Ballmer had envisioned. Both Harden and Zubac have now been traded before the deadline, leaving Kawhi Leonard with Garland and what appears to be a roster that will be rehauled in the summer.
Leonard will be entering the final year of his contract and will make $50.3 million during the 2026-27 season.
Mathurin and Jackson enter a situation where they will receive clear roles and playing time as the future of this franchise alongside Garland. In the final year of his contract, Mathurin will be a restricted free agent for the Clippers this offseason.
This season with the Pacers, Mathurin averaged 17.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from 3-point range in 28 games.
The Clippers are currently 23-27 and are fighting for position in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament region of the standings. Their first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
