After the second half of the regular season and most of the summer, the trade between the LA Clippers and the Indiana Pacers, which occurred at the 2026 February trade deadline, has been updated. The Pacers ended up with Zubac and Kobe Brown. At the same time, the Clippers are left with Keaton Wagler (the 2026 protected first-rounder), Isaiah Jackson, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick, after Bennedict Mathurin just signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans that includes a player option.
Still, despite losing Mathurin, the Clippers are the clear winners of the trade.
Zubac and Brown are exceptional talents, and each has a long career in the NBA ahead of them, but they are not worth the draft capital LA initially received in the package.
Indiana overpaid tremendously, even with Mathurin off the Clippers
Take out Bennedict Mathurin, who is an extremely talented wing in the early stages of his career with high amounts of potential on both sides of the ball, and the LA Clippers are still winners of their trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Why is that? Well, it starts with the 2026 first-rounder that had protections on it, yet ended up falling in the Clippers’ favor.
The Clippers’ front office used that pick to select their face of the franchise and guard of the future, Keaton Wagler, a 19-year-old prospect from Illinois.
That alone is a massive return for Ivica Zubac, who is in the midst of his prime, and Kobe Brown, who is still finding his way in the league.
Then, the Clippers somehow managed to haggle a 2029 unprotected first-rounder from the Pacers. Right off the bat, it’s expected to be of high value, and if it ends up in the lottery, or better yet, top five, the Pacers will forever regret trading away a haul for Zubac.
Additionally, the Clippers snatched Isaiah Jackson, a great depth center with a strong skill set on both ends of the floor, and a 2028 second-rounder from the Pacers.
So, at the end of the day, no matter how you look at it, the Clippers might’ve lost Mathurin to the New Orleans Pelicans, but they still clearly won their end of the blockbuster deal with the Pacers.
In all honesty, the winner was set in stone once the lottery ended, regardless of where Mathurin ended up after restricted free agency.
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