The Los Angeles Clippers are 6-16 on the season, sitting 13th in the Western Conference and looking nothing like a contender. The one steady bright spot has been Ivica Zubac, who is quietly putting up a dominant level of production: the 28-year-old center is averaging 16.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 60.3% from the field in 2025–26, establishing himself as one of the league’s most efficient interior anchors.
The instability around him only keeps growing. Just before their 115–92 win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Clippers decided to send 40-year-old Chris Paul home and move on without him, ending what was supposed to be a farewell season for the veteran guard. Reports out of Los Angeles detailed a breakdown in the relationship between Paul and head coach Tyronn Lue and noted that Paul was ultimately released after playing in 16 of the team’s first 21 games during a brutal 5-16 start.
Against that backdrop, trade speculation around Zubac has intensified. NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints recently reported that the Clippers are a team to watch if the Boston Celtics decide to move Anfernee Simons and his $27.6 million expiring contract, linking Los Angeles to any future Simons talks.
Siegel also highlighted that there is significant leaguewide interest in Zubac himself, with Boston specifically mentioned as a franchise where the Croatian center could be an ideal fit once Jayson Tatum returns from injury.
Here are five realistic trade destinations for Ivica Zubac if the Clippers finally decide to move their reliable big man and reset around a new core.
1. Boston Celtics
Proposed Trade Details
Boston Celtics Receive: Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr.
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Anfernee Simons, 2027 first-round pick (via BOS), 2028 first-round pick (via SAS), 2026 second-round pick (via ORL/DET/MIL),
On paper, Boston doesn’t need a center upgrade. Neemias Queta is having a breakout year, averaging 9.7 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting an absurd 65.6% from the field, all on a low-cost deal. He’s been one of the quiet success stories of their season and has helped keep the Celtics afloat inside while Jayson Tatum recovers and Boston grinds through a 12–9 start that currently has them sixth in the East.
But Zubac would still be a clear upgrade if Boston is thinking in “second-round and conference-finals” terms instead of just regular-season competence. The Clippers’ big man is averaging 16.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 60.3% shooting this season, ranking near the top of the league in boards and efficiency while carrying a much bigger workload than Queta. He gives Boston a true, playoff-tested starting center who can anchor the glass, finish everything around the rim, and soak up 30+ physical minutes against big frontcourts.
This deal also delivers Derrick Jones Jr., who quietly fits exactly what Boston likes on the wing. He’s putting up 10.5 points per game on 53.3% from the field, and 34% from three for the Clippers, but his real value is as a switchable defender who can guard 1–4, slide into any small-ball lineup, and pressure the ball at the point of attack. Jones would immediately add even more grit and length to a team that already leans on wings to drive its defensive identity.
From Boston’s side, the price is real: Anfernee Simons plus two firsts and a second is a strong package, especially after Simons has carved out a scoring role from the bench on a winning team. But NBA insider Brett Siegel has already reported that there’s significant leaguewide interest in Zubac and specifically mentioned Boston as a team where he’d be an ideal fit once Tatum is healthy again.
If the Celtics believe their title window is still open once a fully healthy Tatum comes back this year, paying up for a proven two-way center and an elite defensive wing might be exactly the kind of aggressive move they need.
2. Indiana Pacers
Proposed Trade Details
Indiana Pacers Receive: Ivica Zubac
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Obi Toppin, Tony Bradley, 2028 first-round pick (via IND)
The Pacers are 4–18 and sitting 14th in the Eastern Conference, and the roster looks exactly like that record suggests: scrappy, young, but clearly short on starting-caliber size. With Myles Turner gone, Indiana has been patching together center minutes with Isaiah Jackson, Jarace Walker, and Jay Huff. Those guys bring energy and flashes, but they’re all more “interesting rotation pieces” than long-term anchors in the middle. For a team that wants to be relevant again when Tyrese Haliburton is fully healthy, that’s a problem.
Zubac would solve it overnight. Indiana wouldn’t be asking him to be a star, just to be the grown-up in the paint. A reliable screener, rebounder, and rim protector who can eat 28–30 minutes every night and let everyone else slide into their natural roles. With Haliburton back from his Achilles recovery next season, a pick-and-roll combo featuring his shooting and passing gravity with Zubac’s screens and touch around the rim gives the Pacers a real offensive backbone again. Add Pascal Siakam, Bennedict Mathurin, and the young wings to that mix, and suddenly, Indiana has a balanced starting five that actually looks like a playoff group.
The beauty of this trade for the Pacers is the timing of the pick. By sending out a 2028 first-rounder, they keep this year’s selection, which is trending toward the top five. They can grab a blue-chip prospect in the upcoming draft, plug Zubac in as the starting center, and realistically aim to be back in the mix for another Eastern Conference Finals run in two seasons instead of drifting in the lottery. It’s an aggressive move, but not a desperate one. The outgoing pick is far enough down the line that Indiana should be good by then.
For the Clippers, this is about repositioning. Obi Toppin gives them a high-motor forward who can run the floor, finish above the rim, and soak up minutes at the four in a more mobile frontcourt. Tony Bradley provides cheap depth at center, but the real prize is the 2028 first-round pick. That extra asset helps Los Angeles restock a thin cupboard and gives the front office more ammunition for a bigger move down the road, all while moving off Zubac’s money and leaning into a different build.
3. Chicago Bulls
Proposed Trade Details
Chicago Bulls Receive: Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Nikola Vucevic, 2027 first-round pick
The Bulls are 9–12 this season, sitting 4th in the Central Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference, the exact kind of middle ground they’ve been stuck in for years. Offensively, they can hang with almost anyone, but defensively, they’re a mess. Chicago is giving up an NBA-worst 55.0 points in the paint per game, ranking 28th in the league in that category, and that weakness shows up every night when opponents relentlessly attack the rim.
That’s the problem this trade is built to solve. Swapping Nikola Vucevic for Ivica Zubac gives the Bulls a true defensive center who actually deters drives instead of inviting them. Vucevic still puts up numbers, but he’s an aging, ground-bound big man whose limitations inside are a huge part of why Chicago bleeds paint points. Zubac, on the other hand, brings physicality, size, and real rim protection. With Josh Giddey running the show on 20.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists, flirting with a triple-double line every night, plus young talents like Matas Buzelis and Coby White spacing the floor and attacking closeouts, Zubac slides in as the backline anchor this roster has been crying out for.
For Chicago, this is a shift away from “fun offense, no stops” toward something that can actually survive a playoff series. They keep their current core of Giddey, Buzelis, and White intact, add a center who stabilizes the defense, and still hold on to their future picks outside of the one they send in this deal. With Zubac signed long-term on a reasonable $18.1million contract, the Bulls can realistically aim to move out of mediocrity and trend back toward being a threat to make the second round in the short term.
From the Clippers’ perspective, this is mostly about the books and the pick. Vucevic’s $21.4 million expiring contract comes off their cap after this season, clearing significant space for 2026–27 and helping them move closer to getting under the first apron. They also pick up a valuable 2027 first-round pick from a team that still hasn’t proven it can win consistently. Losing Zubac and Kobe Brown hurts their depth, but L.A. buys flexibility and future assets at the cost of a non-star center; exactly the kind of move you make when you’re trying to reset your cap sheet without detonating the entire roster.
4. Orlando Magic
Proposed Trade Details
Orlando Magic Receive: Ivica Zubac
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Wendell Carter Jr., Tyus Jones, 2027 second-round pick, 2029 second-round pick
The Magic are 13–9, sitting 2nd in the Southeast Division and 5th in the Eastern Conference. They’ve already proved they can win games with their current core, even with Paolo Banchero missing time, but their center rotation is more solid than spectacular. Wendell Carter Jr. is having a good year with 12.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 52.2% from the field, and he fits nicely as a stretch big who can space the floor and keep the ball moving.
Zubac, though, would give Orlando a different level of physical presence. On a team that already has scoring from Franz Wagner, Banchero, and Desmond Bane, the Magic don’t need offense from the five as much as they need a true anchor who can control the glass, set bruising screens, and soak up tough minutes against bigger frontcourts. Plugging Zubac into that structure would let them lean even harder into their identity as a big, physical, defense-first group while still maintaining enough shooting around him to keep the floor spaced. In a tight East playoff picture, that kind of interior upgrade could be the difference between just making the postseason and winning a round or two.
From the Clippers’ side, this is a younger-and-deeper play. Carter is two years younger than Zubac and on a long-term deal, and his ability to step out to the perimeter and hit threes gives L.A. a more modern look at center around a core of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and an injured Bradley Beal. Tyus Jones’ raw numbers in Orlando are modest: 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and roughly 2.0 assists in about 14 minutes per game on 31.6% shooting. But his track record as a steady, low-turnover floor general makes him an ideal backup point guard, especially now that Chris Paul is gone.
The two second-round picks in 2027 and 2029 aren’t franchise-changers on their own, but they add cheap, controllable assets to a Clippers team that badly needs more draft capital. For L.A., it’s a way to get a younger big, a competent reserve guard under 30, and a pair of future swings in the draft, all while moving off Zubac in a deal that still leaves them competitive in the short term.
5. Utah Jazz
Proposed Trade Details
Utah Jazz Receive: Ivica Zubac, Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Jusuf Nurkic, 2026 first-round pick (MIN or CLE swap rights), 2027 first-round pick (via LAL)
For a Utah squad that’s 7-13 and on the cusp of the play-in, this is all about locking in a long-term partner for Lauri Markkanen. With Walker Kessler out for the entire season due to a shoulder injury and heading into restricted free agency without an extension in place, the Jazz suddenly have real uncertainty at the five.
In this scenario, plugging Zubac next to Markkanen (posting All-NBA numbers at 28.0 points and 6.4 rebounds) gives them one of the most balanced frontcourts in the conference: a bruising interior presence who controls the glass and protects the rim, paired with an All-Star level scorer who stretches the floor and punishes mismatches.
A Markkanen–Zubac duo would let Utah lean fully into a simple, playoff-proof identity. Zubac handles the dirty work inside, frees Markkanen from having to battle true centers every night, and gives their guards a dependable screen-and-roll outlet. With Kessler’s future unclear and Yanic Konan Niederhauser still more of a long-term project than a rotation lock, getting a proven, in-his-prime starting center on a multi-year deal stabilizes the position in a way late first-round picks almost never do.
Those firsts are exactly why the Clippers do this. The 2026 pick comes with swap rights tied to Minnesota or Cleveland, both established playoff teams. The 2027 first via the Lakers projects to land in the 20s as well, especially in a world where Los Angeles has Luka Doncic headlining the roster. None of those selections is likely to be in the lottery, but stacking multiple late firsts gives L.A. real ammunition for future trades or a chance to hit on cheap rotation players as Harden, Kawhi, and the rest of their core age out of their primes.
Nurkic, meanwhile, is a functional stopgap. He can start for a year, provide size, scoring, and passing from the high post, and then his $19 million expiring deal comes off the books. For a Clippers team trying to reset its cap sheet and get out from under the first apron while still staying competitive, turning Zubac into two first-round picks and short-term Nurkic is a logical exit strategy. Utah gets the long-term defensive anchor it needs next to Markkanen; Los Angeles gets flexibility and draft capital without detonating the present.
