In a move fans didn't think would actually happen, the Los Angeles Clippers traded Ivica Zubac to the Pacers for Benndict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and one second-round pick. It's a lot more than the Lakers got in return for the center when they sent him and Michael Beasley to the Clippers in 2019 for Mike Muscala.
If you need a reminder of how Muscala's time with the Lakers went, he averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in 15.6 minutes across 17 contests to end the 2018-19 season. That offseason, he signed with the Thunder.
The Clippers got far more out of Zubac than the Lakers received from Muscala. Last season was Zubac's best of his career, as he averaged 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game in 80 contests, shooting 62.8% from the field.
Los Angeles didn't start this season thinking that a Zubac trade would happen. Once the team got off to a rough start, it seemed like there could maybe be a fire sale before the deadline, but the Clippers started to turn things around. That didn't keep James Harden from asking out, though, and even after LA traded him on Tuesday, fans still thought Zubac wasn't going anywhere.
The Clippers didn't want to let go of Zubac, but they felt like they couldn't pass on the Pacers' offer.
Lakers look even more foolish for trading Zubac to Clippers in 2019
Even if all that the Clippers had gotten in return for Zubac were Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 draft, that would've been more than the Lakers got. Even if all they had received was a singular first-round pick, or even just the second-round pick, it would've been more.
It didn't take all that long for the Lakers to kick themselves for letting Zubac go, a mistake they still regret to this day, as they need a true starting center. Having 28-year-old Zubac around for a pick-and-roll partner for their 26-year-old superstar guard Luka Dončić would be something. He'd help their below-average defense, too.
The Lakers have to be at least a little relieved that Zubac is not just out of the West, but away from LA entirely, for the reason that they don't have to have a constant reminder of the fact that they essentially traded him for nothing. They're not safe, though, as watching Zubac play with Tyrese Haliburton next year will sting.
It will sting for Clippers fans, too. Zubac was beloved, but hey, at least they got more than Muscala for him.