Ivica Zubac does not sound bitter when he talks about the Lakers. He sounds stunned.
Speaking on the X&O’s CHAT podcast, the now Pacers center pulled back the curtain on what he described as a chaotic, inconsistent, and at times hypocritical tenure in Los Angeles under Magic Johnson.
“Before Summer League, they told me I had to be Summer League MVP. If not, they’d be disappointed. Well, I wasn’t MVP. We won the Summer League. I played well, but not an MVP. That team was loaded. The best team in Summer League history.”
“Me, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Kuzma, Caruso. Thomas Bryant was coming off the bench. Seven or eight legit NBA guys. Thomas Bryant, who doesn’t even go into the paint. A legend. How can you be MVP on that team? Sometimes you can’t even get the ball.”
“We won it all. Summer League ends. The season starts soon. Two weeks before the season, they signed Bogut. Magic calls me in. Says I didn’t improve all summer. “You didn’t improve. You won’t play.'”
“Camp hadn’t even started, and he’s telling me I won’t play. I’m thinking, I stayed all summer, didn’t play for the national team. All summer in LA with my trainers. Strength coach, skill coach, did everything they wanted. What else could I do? If I didn’t improve, that’s on you.”
As a 19-year-old rookie, Zubac averaged 16.0 minutes, 7.5 points, and 4.2 rebounds, shooting 52.9% from the field. In 11 starts, he flashed legitimate starting-center production. In one stretch, he posted 25 points and 11 rebounds. For a second-round pick, that was a strong early return.
In Year 2, his minutes dropped to 9.5 per game. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 50.0% from the field.
Instead of building on it, his role collapsed.
His third season was a revolving door. JaVale McGee was signed, and Michael Beasley played backup center. Then, Tyson Chandler arrived after a buyout. Zubac barely touched the floor.
Then came the moment that still sticks with him.
“Luke Walton calls me the night before, says I’m starting. Anthony Davis. Next morning at shootaround, Magic Johnson shows up. He says, ‘Tonight, 15 and 10, three blocks. You have to.’ I hadn’t played in two years.”
“We play, we win. I had 17, 11, three blocks. What does Magic say? Next day he comes up to me. “Great job. I always believed in you. I always knew you had it in you. You just had to show it. I always believed in you.”
Then came Year 3. His minutes rose to 15.6 per game, and he responded with 8.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and a highly efficient 58.0% from the field. On a per-36-minute basis, he was producing at starting-caliber levels. The upward trend was clear.
And then he was traded.
“Funny thing, everyone was shocked. But Muscala dropped 20 on us in LA. Maybe they saw him as a stretch five, someone who can shoot. That’s how they sold it. Magic never called from his own number. Nobody had his cell. It was always a team line, then Magic comes on.”
“The trade was similar. We were in Boston. We had a game that day. We had our shootaround. The deadline was around 2 p.m. I was tracking everything. Usually I nap before games, but the whole team was nervous.”
“Rumors we’d be traded for Anthony Davis. We all thought we were gone. Around 1:40 nothing happened. I said, I’m starting tonight, I’ll rest. Guess I’m safe. As soon as I set my alarm, my phone rings. Rob Pelinka. No way. Impossible. I didn’t even answer. I knew what it was.”
“I answer, Magic’s on the line. Both were there, but Magic did the talking. He says, ‘We traded you. Thanks for everything. You helped us win games.’ They’re saying all that, I don’t even know where I’m going. I ask, ‘Where?’ ‘Clippers.’ I said, okay, at least I’m not moving. Made peace with it.”
“They said the Clippers just waived Gortat. He was their starter. ‘You’ll start there. Good opportunity. You’ll get more minutes.”
In February 2019, Zubac and Michael Beasley were sent to the Los Angeles Clippers for Mike Muscala. At the time of the trade, Zubac was just 21 years old, trending upward, and on a cheap contract. Muscala averaged 5.9 points in 17 games with the Lakers before being moved again. He is now out of the league.
After the trade, everything changed. Over eight seasons with the Clippers, he played 513 games and became a full-time starter, averaging 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds on 62.7% shooting. This season, before his move to Indiana, he was posting 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds on 61.3% efficiency.
The Lakers, meanwhile, cycled through centers for years.
Zubac says Kareem Abdul-Jabbar even wanted an official role to work with him and the big men, but it never materialized. The skyhook sessions ended as quickly as they began.
Zubac has spoken openly about feeling mismanaged, from option uncertainty to late-night calls informing him of trades. The pattern that emerges is inconsistency from leadership and instability in role definition with the Lakers.
Looking back, Zubac’s story is not just about a trade. It is about mixed messages, demands without opportunity, and praise after public doubt.
