Which players should the LA Clippers consider re-signing this summer?
Ivica Zubac
2018-2019 salary: $1,544,951
The LA Clippers pulled off the theft of the decade when they traded Mike Muscala, an afterthought from the Tobias Harris trade, for Ivica Zubac. While it’s true that the Los Angeles Lakers probably wouldn’t have used Zu much as the season came to a close, and they might not have planned on paying him this summer either, it’s still almost inexcusable to trade away a young, talented big with a bright future away for a role player that will hardly see the floor.
It isn’t a coincidence that the Clippers were as good as they were following the trade deadline. The credit is due to a lot of people, and Zubac is one of them. He took over the starting center position from Marcin Gortat immediately and made the most of it, recording five double-doubles in 26 games with LA.
Zubac left something to be desired on offense, but it’s hard to be too critical when the seven-footer was dealing with numerous hand injuries and is hardly 22. It’s also likely that he expands his offensive toolkit over the summer, as he’s already been seen focusing on his three-point shot in workouts.
The Clippers will probably be able to secure Zubac on a deal that pays a million or two more annually than what he earned last season, and considering he sort of fell into their lap, LA should aim to keep him there.
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Like Garrett Temple, Zubac probably won’t take priority over guys like Patrick Beverley and JaMychal Green. But since he’s a restricted free agent, the LA Clippers won’t have to worry as much about him running free.