Clippers trade Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers

The Clippers are trading center Ivica Zubac, the team’s longest-tenured active player and cornerstone to their offense, to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in an unexpected move an hour before the NBA trade deadline.

The trade includes Kobe Brown, a third-year guard, in return for wing Bennedict Mathurin, big man Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick.

Zubac, who turns 29 next month, has been viewed as the player with the most value in the trade. The 7-foot center is shooting 61% and averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds this season, slightly down from his career season last year but he continues to be a stalwart in the paint and was the favorite target of James Harden in the pick-and-roll.

The Clippers traded Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in exchange for 26-year-old guard Darius Garland.

Zubac missed Wednesday’s game because of personal issues following the birth of his daughter.

With the trade, the Clippers get even younger. The 6-foot-5 Mathurin, 23, is a talented scorer and was a key part of the Pacers’ run to last season’s NBA Finals. He saw more playing time after Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles and has been averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28 games this season. A month ago, he was out indefinitely with a sprained right thumb as well as turf toe.

The 24-year-old Jackson, at 6-foot-8, is expected to compete with Brook Lopez and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser for minutes at the center position. Selected by the Lakers and traded in a draft-day deal to Indiana in 2021, Jackson averaged 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds while playing 16.8 minutes per game this season for the Pacers.

The Clippers are also receiving a 2026 first-round pick from the Pacers, which is protected from picks Nos. 1-4 and 10-30, and a 2029 unprotected first-round pick.

More to come on this story.