Inside Bleacher Report’s latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft is the exact situation fans of the LA Clippers are dreading. Jonathan Wasserman has the Indiana Pacers selecting AJ Dybantsa second overall, meaning the protections, 1-4 and 10-30, of their pick in the trade for Ivica Zubac worked out against the LA Clippers. As a result, LA will have to wait until 2031 to get its hands on that first rounder.
If Wasserman’s prediction transpires, the Clippers’ entire summer would be in the air. Right now, the front office is hoping to go all-in on a rebuild, following moves to acquire Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin at the deadline, but if they have nothing to look forward to on day one of the draft, no one will know where to proceed with Kawhi Leonard.
And, on top of that, the Clippers would have officially lost the trade with the Pacers, which adds insult to injury.
Clippers Fans would be in tears if Indiana ends up with Ivica Zubac and AJ Dybantsa
The LA Clippers losing a fan favorite in Ivica Zubac already hurts enough. He has not yet made his debut for the Indiana Pacers, but when he does, and thereafter, the only emotion for Clipper Nation will be heartbreak.
How could the pain be taken to the next level? If Indiana strikes gold in the lottery and listens to commissioner Adam Silver's announcement on stage that arguably the best player in college basketball, AJ Dybantsa, is taking his talents to the Pacers, joining Tyrese Haliburton and Co.
Dybantsa has literally been a man amongst boys for the BYU Cougars. He is averaging 25.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, shooting 53.2% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc.
He is one of the main reasons the 2026 draft class is described as the most generational in recent memory. Dybantsa’s mix of athleticism, shot-making ability, and overall prowess on both sides of the ball at just 19 years old is purely unfair.
Indiana would have a building block for the future, and a center in his prime, and bad luck is the one to blame.
That said, what else are fans supposed to feel other than distraught if Dybantsa and Zubac end up as teammates? This specific outcome cannot happen, and if it does, the entire trade that made it possible would be regarded as one of the worst losses in Clippers history.