LA trades Ivica Zubac to the Pacers

The Los Angeles Clippers are finalizing the trade to send the All Defense Center Ivica Zubac that the Indiana Pacersleague sources told ClutchPoints on Thursday afternoon.

In addition to trading Zubac to the Pacers, Los Angeles is also sending Kobe Brown to Indiana. In exchange for their starting center, the Clippers will receive Benedict MaturinIsaiah Jackson, a protected first-round pick in 2026, an unprotected first-round pick in 2029 and a future second-round pick in 2028, sources said.

Although the Pacers traded away their 2026 first-round pick in this trade, it comes with major caveats and protections.

If this pick falls in the 1-4 or 10-30 range in the 2026 NBA Draft, Indiana will keep this pick and instead send the Clippers an unprotected first-round pick from 2031. Either way, the Clippers got exactly what they wanted in two unprotected first-round picks and young talent in Maturin and Jackson.

ESPN first reported the trade between Indiana and Los Angeles.

The The Pacers were one of the most aggressive teams on the trade market in recent days, looking for their center of the future. Zubac was at the top of their list, and while the Clippers held a strong asking price for him, the Pacers met that price in the final hour before Thursday’s deadline.

After trading James Harden for Dario Garland and clearly taking a step back after their recent surge over the past month, the Clippers have turned their attention to capitalizing on Zubac’s high value now. Los Angeles possessed very little draft capital entering the week of the trade deadline, and now they’ve recovered 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 Eastern Conference championship equation with Zubac as the starting center and Tyrese Halliburton returning from an Achilles injury.

In 43 games this season, Zubac averaged 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.3 percent from the floor.

For the Clippers, the trade marks the end of an era that hasn’t progressed the way CEO Lawrence Frank and owner Steve Ballmer 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 rebuilt in the summer.

Leonard will enter the final year of his contract and will make $50.3 million through the 2026-27 season.

Mathurin and Jackson step into 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, Maturin will be a restricted free agent for the Clippers this offseason.

This season with the Pacers, Maturin 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 fighting for a spot in the Western Conference playoff standings. Their pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder.