INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers acquired center Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2026 in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson.
Zubac, who was named to the NBA All-Defense team in 2025, played five games for the Pacers during the 2025–2026 season, averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He is signed through the 2027–2028 season at under $22 million annually, making him the 20th highest-paid center in the league—a figure well below the top 10 centers, who each earned over $32 million in 2025–2026.
Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan called Zubac the team’s “number one target” immediately after the trade. “We like (Zubac), we like his fit, like his age, like his production, like his character, his locker room culture, all of the above.”
Buchanan emphasized that the trade was necessary to avoid sacrificing core players later. “Some of the other options moving forward, if (we’d) have waited until this summer, (were) going to require (us), because of where we’re at cap wise, to sacrifice some of (our) core players. And we just didn’t want to do that.” The Pacers’ top seven players include starters Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Zubac, and reserves Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell.
Team President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard stated the Pacers felt pressure during the trade deadline to act in order to preserve those top seven players.
The Pacers do not hold a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Mathurin’s contract expires after June 2026, while Jackson’s salary is set to decrease in the 2026–2027 season.
No independent assessment of Indiana Pacers’s claims was available.