Clippers TRADE Ivica Zubac TO Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin & Isaiah Jackson & 2 FRP & 1 SRP

It's official: Clippers are pulling the plug on the season.

They go from the 2nd or 3rd best team in the West to a tank job in a matter of days. I feel bad for Ty Lue even though he is being paid a whole lot of money.

The presser where he was under inquisition about Harden was very hard to watch. Here we go again.
Would not shock me if he asks to leave the Clippers and is coaching elsewhere next season. I think he is a legit, championship-level head coach.

 

Pacers making moves for next year. Rockets making moves for no year.

 

For who hali?

 

I think this is a fantastic move for the Pacers!

 

Something is definitely happening in Clippers land wow.

 

It's a fantastic move for sure if the Pacers are lucky with the ping pong balls, get a pick 1-4 that they would keep, and that pick reverts to 2031 unprotected. If the Pacers give up pick #5 or #6, that would make me a little ill.

But the Pacers were not going to give Mathurin 25M to be a sixth man, even as a big buckets guy, and they found that even without Hali the team plays better with Nembhard and Nesmith playing over Mathurin as starters. He had a shot to show he's the man and shot 43%. Though he did have a hand injury and a leg injury. Hate to give up on a 23 year old "dog" and I think he will eventually be a 20+ ppg scorer, but he is too much of a ball stopper to fit with the flow offense with Hali running the show.

Zubac always struck me as being slow, and he doesn't stretch the floor, but at least he's not a traffic cone on D. Pacers were lucky Sengun didn't hang 50 on them on Monday.

 

Zubac is one of the best centers in the league in 2026. He isn't a star, and never will be, but he is a legitimate center that defends well and can play in fast and slow situations.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like Mathurin has flatlined. The few times I've watched him this season, it doesn't seem like he meshes on offense.

Zubac won't stretch the floor, but he shows up every single night, plays hard and is very productive.

 

Mathurin has had a couple of injuries, like 80% of the Pacers roster this year, and must had missed 5 weeks or so, but he wasn't doing anything to make you think he ought to start over Nembhard or Nesmith when Hali is back. Frankly, Jarace Walker, lately, seems more valuable (and has size)

 

Zubac actually has a pretty low motor & doesn't run the floor hard or make hustle plays. He will fit better in the half-court offense with next season's Pacers & last year's Clippers when they had Norman Powell providing better spacing. It made sense that Boston was also interested in him.