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The Indiana Pacers have struggled to replace the departed Myles Turner’s production in their frontcourt this season, but they reportedly added an impact big Thursday ahead of the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Pacers acquired Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal involving Bennedict Mathurin.
This trade was reportedly a pivot for the Pacers:
This is another high-profile deal for Los Angeles after Charania reported it dealt James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick. While Garland is a two-time All-Star and Mathurin has NBA Finals experience as an impact player, it is still quite the roster reshuffle for a team that has been playing so well.
Los Angeles started 6-21 but has improved to 23-27 and sits in Western Conference play-in tournament position.
How effective Garland and Mathurin can be alongside Kawhi Leonard will go a long way toward determining whether the Clippers can maintain their momentum and make a playoff run in the West, although the draft-pick compensation is also important.
Mathurin should help if they do make the postseason, as he was a key part of the Pacers’ NBA Finals run last season. He scored 20 or more points in two of their Eastern Conference Finals wins over the New York Knicks, poured in 27 points in the team’s Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, and notched a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds in the Game 7 loss to OKC.
There will be no NBA Finals run for Indiana this season.
After all, the team is in last place in the Eastern Conference at 13-38 and is without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entire campaign after he suffered an Achilles injury in that Game 7 loss.
But next season could be a different story when Haliburton returns alongside Pascal Siakam, a potential top-four pick, much of the same supporting cast from the Finals appearance and, now, Zubac.
Indiana needed a formidable frontcourt presence moving forward, and Zubac provides just that as a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor. He is averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds a night this season while shooting 61.3 percent from the field.
At this point, everything is about next season and the future for the struggling Pacers. And that future now includes an impressive big man.