Kawhi Leonard keeps it real in trading Ivica Zubac to the Pacers

The LA Clippers made a a couple of surprising moves at the NBA trade deadlinethe first by sending star guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade for Dario Garland. The second move could be even more surprising, with the Clippers trade Ivica Zubac that the Indiana Pacers for Benedict Maturin, Isaiah Jackson and several valuable draft picks.

The moves sent shockwaves around the league, given how many teams have called the Clippers for months about trading their top players only to be turned down.

Now that means Kawhi Leonard is the longest-tenured Clipper and a sort of “last man standing” over the past few years.

After the Clippers’ game against the Sacramento Kings, Leonard spoke with media representatives, where he talked about how he felt after the Ivica Zubac trade.

“I believe he was probably about 20 or 21 when I first got here,” Kawhi Leonard said. “He was maybe in his third year in the league, so he just kept working and over time he became a guy who stayed in the fourth quarter and held down the fort for us in the paint. He was also very good in the post, which led to double teams on mismatches or on guys his size. He’s had great development, he’s playing well and he still has a chance to go back to India. They’re getting their whole group, I told him, so just enjoy his kid and he’ll have a chance to play for championship.

The trade that sent James Harden to the Cleveland Cavs had been in the works for some time, so while it was a bit of a surprise, it wasn’t completely unexpected.

The transfer of Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers, however, was a painful shock for everyone in the organization.

“It’s almost like losing a brother,” Leonard added. “We see these people, the players here more than we see our families, in a sense, throughout the NBA season. Just somebody that’s going to be missed. Like you said, I played a lot of games with him, a lot of battles. He’s a face that we’re going to miss in the locker room.”

Since December 20th, when the team was 6-21 on the season, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers have turned the season around and won 17 of the next 21 games. The 17-4 streak was the best record in the NBA during that time and put them firmly in contention for an NBA Tournament berth.

The Harden trade changed the Clippers’ focus to getting a little younger and staying competitive with a guy like Darius Garland. The Zubac trend, however, raises some questions about the Clippers’ ability to compete at a high level for the remainder of this season.

Entering the 2025-26 season as the oldest team in NBA history, Leonard understood the need to rejuvenate the franchise with star talent while also acquiring assets they simply didn’t have the opportunity to acquire.

“We were just trying to rejuvenate. We came into the year with the oldest team. It makes sense for them to try to acquire some assets and try to build for the future. Hopefully it’s a big class. They’ve got to do what’s best for them. I thought we’ve followed well the last six weeks. Everyone has human nature. It’s a complete turnaround that we could have done. But we thought we could make some noise or mess up somebody’s season.

The Clippers earned two tough wins over the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves after the NBA trade deadline, with two games remaining against the Houston Rockets before the NBA All-Star break.

Entering Monday, the Clippers hold a 25-27 record and are the ninth seed in the Western Conference. They are just half a game ahead of the Blazers for the 10 seed and 2.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors for the eighth seed.

In 39 appearances this season, Kawhi Leonard is averaging 28 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.7 three-pointers per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three.