The NBA’s punishment of the Clippers hit hard, and one of the most notable pieces of fallout is tied to a pick that had already changed hands in the Ivica Zubac deal.
After a year-long investigation, the league announced that the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard violated salary cap circumvention rules under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the National Basketball Players Association. NBA Communications said the determination came from “information developed through an independent investigation conducted by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.”
Los Angeles was fined $30 million and stripped of five first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. The league also fined and suspended several people in the organization. Owner Steve Ballmer, President of Basketball Operations Lawerence Frank, and President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker were all named in the reporting.
Kawhi Leonard was fined $700 thousand, and his uncle Dennis Robertson was suspended for five years.
Among the five lost picks, one was the 2029 first-rounder the Clippers had acquired from the Indiana Pacers in the Zubac trade. Zach Lowe of The Ringer reported that the Clippers will forfeit that pick, but it will not be returned to Indiana.
That means the Clippers will not be able to use the Pacers’ 2029 first-round pick in the draft, and the selection does not go back to the team that originally sent it out. The pick has already been moved on, so it becomes unusable.
For Indiana, the development does not restore a first-rounder in 2029, but it does make the price of the Zubac deal look a little different in hindsight. The Pacers also saw Bennedict Mathurin leave in free agency, with Mathurin signing a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. He had been viewed as a young piece for the future after the trade was completed in February, though the Clippers decided this offseason that moving on made sense.
Seven months after the Zubac trade, Indiana’s return from that deal has been whittled down to Isaiah Jackson, the No. 5 overall pick from the 2026 NBA Draft, Keaton Wagler, and a future second-round pick.
What once looked like a major 2029 asset now amounts to nothing for the Clippers, and the fallout from the NBA’s ruling leaves the Zubac trade looking less costly for Indiana, even if the price was still steep at the time. Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan backed the move after the NBA Draft Lottery, and while the team still paid a heavy toll for its new starting center, the lost 2029 pick no longer carries the same sting.
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Pacers Could Exploit The Clippers To Fix A Key Bench Issue
Indiana has already spent much of this offseason looking for ways to sharpen the bench, and the Clippers have become an intriguing team to monitor because of the pressure on their roster construction and future flexibility. With limited draft capital to work with and a financial picture complicated by the recent NBA scandal, Los Angeles may have to be creative if it wants to reshape the roster, which is why a deal built around depth pieces has surfaced as a possibility.
For the Pacers, the appeal is straightforward: Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. would bring defensive toughness and another layer of wing and backcourt depth, while Jarace Walker and T.J. McConnell would give the Clippers a different mix of youth and proven guard play. It is the kind of trade idea that speaks directly to Indianas bench issue, even if the challenge is whether the Pacers would part with a young piece and one of their steadier reserves to make it happen. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Center Trade Suddenly Looks Like An Even Bigger Long Term Win
The Pacers center situation has been a talking point for years, so the Ivica Zubac deal with the Clippers already made sense as a move aimed at solving a long-term roster need. Indiana sent out multiple players and draft picks to get him, and even at the time it looked like the sort of trade a front office makes when it wants stability in the middle instead of another short-term patch.
What has made the deal look even better is the way the Pacers have benefited from Zubacs play since the trade, while some of the draft capital tied to the transaction has been affected by the Kawhi Leonard investigation. For Indiana, the return has become easier to appreciate because it landed a dependable center and may have turned what was once a complicated transaction into a clear win for the future. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Carlisle Is Getting The Kind Of Respect Pacers Fans Craved
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For a fan base that has spent years wanting national recognition for the architect on the sideline, it is a satisfying kind of validation, even if the season that would decide the award is still ahead. Johnson and Hardy have their own paths to contender status depending on how their teams perform, but Carlisles candidacy already says plenty about where Indiana sits in the conversation. The Pacers have found a familiar face to lead them, and now the rest of the league seems to be catching on. [Read more 🡒]