The Indiana Pacers’ decision to swing big for Ivica Zubac is aging nicely.
When Indiana went into last year’s trade deadline, the need was obvious: the roster had no long-term answer at center. Myles Turner had already walked in free agency to the rival Milwaukee Bucks, and Kevin Pritchard along with the front office had to find a real anchor if the Pacers wanted to stay in the mix as a legitimate NBA Finals contender.
Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson weren’t solving the problem. So Pritchard and general manager Chad Buchanan went bold, landing Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster deal.
The price was steep. Indiana sent Bennedict Mathurin, Jackson, a 2026 first-round pick that was top-four protected, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick via Dallas to get Zubac and young wing Kobe Brown.
Pritchard took a gamble with that 2026 pick, and the ping pong balls didn’t break Indiana’s way. The selection conveyed to the Clippers.
Even so, the trade has only looked better since then. Mathurin lasted just half a season in Los Angeles before leaving this offseason for the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-year, $16 million deal.
Jackson is still with the Clippers, and the No. 5 pick turned into Keaton Wagler. What Wagler becomes is still unknown, but another development has made the deal even sweeter for Indiana.
Because of the Kawhi Leonard investigation, Los Angeles has now been stripped of the Pacers’ 2029 first-round pick. That means it won’t come back to Indiana, but it also means the Clippers won’t get another young player out of the Zubac trade.
What Indiana has instead is the kind of center it has been hunting for. Zubac gives the Pacers a star big man to pair with Tyrese Haliburton, and the early returns have been strong.
Zubac is coming off the 2025-26 NBA season, when he played in 48 games and posted 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 59.8 percent from the field.
In the 2024-25 season, he was even better, averaging 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks while shooting 62.8 percent from the floor.
For a team that has dealt with rebounding problems for years, Zubac brings exactly what Indiana needed. He cleans the glass, gives the Pacers a real interior scoring threat and has quickly made the blockbuster trade look like a win.
In Other News...
Pacers Backcourt Uncertainty Could Change Wolves' First Preseason Test
The Pacers used their annual FanJam scrimmage at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to give fans an early look at the roster, but the backcourt was missing a couple of familiar faces. T.J. McConnell and Quenton Jackson sat out because of what the team called physical considerations, leaving rookie point guard Braden Smith as the lone true lead guard on the floor for the intrasquad run.
Rick Carlisle said the two guards status for Indianas preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves will be announced before the game, which leaves a little uncertainty around the first real tune-up. If McConnell and Jackson cant go, Smith should see plenty of minutes, a useful opportunity for a rookie who could be asked to handle more than expected right away. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Are Banking Big On One Haliburton Partnership
Tyrese Haliburton has already made clear early this season that he likes what Ivica Zubac brings beside him, and it is easy to see why Indiana is leaning into that fit. Zubac arrived in last seasons trade with the Clippers and gives the Pacers a different kind of presence inside, one built on size, rebounding and steady production rather than flash. His career averages of 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game suggest the kind of reliable interior help Indiana has been looking to pair with its backcourt core.
The bigger story, though, is how much the Pacers have tied to making that partnership work. The trade that brought Zubac to Indiana also cost the team its 2026 first-round draft pick because of the protections attached to the deal, which raises the stakes every time he steps on the floor. For a team trying to build around Haliburton, Zubac is no longer just a useful addition in the lane, he is part of a transaction that could shape the Pacers roster planning for years. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Get A Huge Haliburton Checkpoint After His Achilles Injury
Tyrese Haliburtons next step back with Indiana will come in a setting that means a little extra to him, with his return from an Achilles tear set for a preseason game at his alma mater, Iowa State. It marks an important checkpoint for the Pacers as they continue to build toward having their All-Star point guard back in the fold after a long recovery, and it comes with some added context given the long-term commitment Indiana already made when it signed him to a five-year extension in 2023.
For the Pacers, Haliburtons return is about more than just one exhibition stop in a familiar gym. Indiana has spent the offseason adding Larry Nance Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr. and Braden Smith, but the bigger picture still revolves around getting Haliburton ready to anchor the team again, with expectations that hell be part of the starting lineup when the 2026-27 season opens. Tuesdays or any preseason appearance at Iowa State will not settle everything, but it does offer a meaningful signpost in the process. [Read more 🡒]