As we previously reported on our live blog, the Indiana Pacers are taking a big swing in a bid for their center of tomorrow.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer, and ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, the Pacers are adding All-Defensive Team center Ivica Zubac and deep bench forward Kobe Brown in exchange for restricted free agent shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson, a top-four and 10-30 protected Indiana first-rounder in 2026, an unprotected 2029 Pacers first, and the Dallas Mavericks’ 2028 second-rounder.
Fischer notes that LA will add the Pacers’ unprotected 2031 first if the ’26 selection isn’t within the Nos. 5-9 picks this summer. A rotating door of middling center options hasn’t cut it for the lowly Pacers, who have been looking to replace former 3-and-D starting five Myles Turner after he departed in free agency for the Milwaukee Bucks. Indiana has experimented with Jackson, Jay Huff, Tony Bradley, James Wiseman and Micah Potter at center this season.
Chris Haynes of Amazon Prime Video reports that the Pacers also floated two unprotected future firsts to the Utah Jazz in exchange for injured rim-protected center Walker Kessler. Utah, stunningly, rejected these proposals.
Chris Nicoll-Imagn ImagesIvica Zubac’s Bright Pacers Future
With Turner out the door and All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the year with an Achilles tendon tear, Indiana has plummeted from a Finals team last season to the No. 15 seed in the Eastern Conference this year, at 13-38. Key reserve power forward Obi Toppin has missed all but three games with a foot surgery, but could return after the All-Star break.
Despite the club’s miserable season, Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam was just named to his fourth All-Star squad in 2025-26.
Now, Indiana finds itself in the best position since the 1996-97 San Antonio Spurs to pull off a one-year short tank. The core of the Pacers Finals squad, beyond Haliburton and Turner, remains rostered. Siakam, 3-and-D wings Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, aging point guard T.J. McConnell, plus intriguing young guns like Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard and even Johnny Furphy are all here.
Indiana will have a crack at a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class, led by Duke power forward Cameron Boozer, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, and Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson.
Adding a talented rim protector and rebounder in Zubac to this versatile core, plus theoretically a healthy Haliburton and Toppin, should help the Pacers return to contender status in the wide-open Eastern Conference for 2026-27.
Zubac, 28, doesn’t offer the floor-spacing Turner does, but he’s arguably a better interior defender at this stage in their respective careers. The 7-footer is also in just the first season of a very reasonable three-year, $58.7 million estimated deal.
Through 43 games with LA this season, Zubac has been averaging 14.4 points on 61.3 percent field goal shooting and 70.5 percent charity stripe shooting, 11.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.8 blocks a game.
© Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesThe Clippers’ Pseudo-Retool
After a dismal 6-21 start, the very old LA Clippers appeared to right the ship midseason with a 17-5 run. But 11-time All-Star point guard James Harden has now been shipped off to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland, who’s 10 years younger and gives the franchise some breathing room.
The Clippers are getting two more intriguing young pieces in the 23-year-old Mathurin and the 24-year-old Jackson, plus not-insignificant future draft equity in the two firsts. Mathurin will be a restricted free agent this summer — meaning that LA will be able to match any offer extended his way by a rival club.
Now, LA has the rough outlines of an actually navigable future beyond Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers mortgaged a lot of their own future draft assets to acquire Paul George and build around Leonard in 2019. They’re finally embracing a longer-term vision, although their postseason chances this year have just taken a massive hit with Harden and Zubac gone.
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