The Celtics’ trade proposal brings Ivica Zubac from the defunct Clippers

The The Los Angeles Clippers are a franchise mess right now, and this is the kind of mess that will take years to dig out of. The Chris Paul saga is just a symptom of the growing dysfunction of the Clippers, and it’s not like they’re winning a ton of games to make up for how poorly they’re perceived off the court.

Paul was sent home earlier this week for being a distraction in the Clippers locker room, Lue’s coach challenges and calls out the front office. Some think he’s holding the franchise accountable; some believe he is needlessly nervous amid a rough season for the Clippers in what should have been a triumphant farewell tour for one of the team’s best players in history.

Heading into the Clippers’ matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, they have a 6-16 record on the year. It would be nice if they owned their 2026 first-round pick, but they owe that to the Oklahoma City Thunder in an unprotected way thanks to the 2019 Paul George trade.

This would suggest that it is The Clippers would like to go all the waysqueezing every last drop of production out of his core trio of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac. But if LA can’t right the ship soon, they might want to pre-empt the rebuilding process and blow it all – handing a high first-round pick to OKC without much of a fight.

To that end, maybe someone like Zubac would be available for trade — with Boston Celticsa team starting with Neemias Cueta at center, ready to address their center issues.

Celtics acquire Ivica Zubac from Clippers in preparation for Jayson Tatum’s return

Celtics trade: Anfernee Simmons, Peyton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez, 2026 BOS first round pick.

Clippers trade: Ivica Zubac, Bogdan Bogdanović, Chris Paul

The The Clippers have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Simmons in the past, so this job would finally allow them to close the deal. Simmons is essential in any Celtics trade scenario that includes Zubac for salary adjustments, and as it is, he’s the team’s most expendable player.

Boston acquired Simmons in the Jrue Holiday trade last offseason, and his contract will expire at the end of the season — giving the Clippers room for a lot of salary relief next season that could come in handy if they really decide to blow things up. If they trade Harden as well, then Simmons becomes the team’s starting point guard again, helping him rebound and re-upgrade his value amid a down year off the bench in Boston.

But this is where it gets tough for the Celtics. Simmons himself won’t get the job done in the Toothcraft, especially when he hasn’t been as good this year as he has been in years past. This is what you would require the inclusion of Peyton Pritchardwho is doing a good job in his first season as the starting quarterback.

Pritchard’s efficiency hasn’t been the best, but he’s a guard who’s averaging 17.3 points on nearly 45 percent shooting from the field. And to make matters better, he is it will just be made around $23.2 million over the next three seasons – a great deal for his production.

If nothing else, Pritchard would be a valuable trade chip for a Clippers team in dire need of a locker. The Celtics will understandably be hesitant to trade Pritchard away, but they won’t be getting Zubac for the cheap price of Simmons and a first-round pick — especially when the Clippers’ center himself is locked into a team deal that runs through the 2027-28 season.

Zubac hasn’t been as good this year as he was last year, but this is a guy who is an automatic bucket around the hoop and has anchored elite defenses in years past. In Boston, they will have defenders around them to anchor another excellent defense. How now, Celtics rank 16 in points allowed per 100 possessions, and Zubac’s arrival would give them a legitimate interior presence on both ends of the floor — no offense to Quetta.

Cueta can be a monster on the glass, but he doesn’t provide nearly as much consistency as Zubac on the scoring and rebounding front. Zubac is currently averaging 16.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game while shooting 60.3 percent from the field, which is less than Cathy’s. Cueta would be an amazing backup center, and Zubac’s arrival would give the Celtics a stunning center rotation.

Now, losing Simmons and Pritchard could be unsustainable for the Celtics. This leaves Boston with Derrick White as the primary point guard. Therefore, Paul would be helpful as a backup point guard who can at least play some useful minutes for Joe Mazzula’s team the rest of his farewell tour.

This would take him so far away from his native Los Angeles, but the Celtics will be able to give him minutes, a chance to ruffle feathers off their bench, and a chance to shore up a lackluster team that sorely misses Tatum’s services.

Bogdan Bogdanovic will also go to Beantown in this trade, adding more ball handling and shooting to the Celtic bench. His contract expires at the end of next season, so in the offseason he’ll be a useful expiring guy that Boston can trade for a backup quarterback. He may even be flipped to another team if Boston wants more insurance in their point guard rotation after losing Simmons and Pritchard in this scenario.

The Clippers are in dire need of an infusion of young talent, and will look to Boston’s 2026 first-round pick — their pick in the year behind Tatum. Hugo Gonzalez, the Celtics’ 2025 first-round pick (28th overall), will also be headed to LA. Gonzalez has shown potential, but with Sam Houser, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and Josh Minot on the roster, the Celtics don’t need him right now.