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Jokic was simply asked to clarify who is the best defender against him in the NBA. Serbian center shortly said "Everyone," before naming a full list of different players: "Everyone. Some teams defend very well as a unit, while others have excellent individual defenders. Zubac guards me really well, and so does Nurkic. I guess they’re just bulkier, so I can’t move them when we’re battling for position," he said. "I think Rudy Gobert is a great defender, even though I’ve historically played well against him. Jalen Duren, he’s undersized but tricky. Wendell Carter Jr. is also on the shorter side, and Myles Turner blocks a lot of shots. There’s no need to even talk about Wembanyama. They’re all good; the league is talented on both ends of the floor."
On paper, it could appear as though the league was taking away the 2029 Clippers pick the Sixers had the right to swap. But a league source confirmed a report from PhillyVoice that said the NBA was taking away a first-round pick the Pacers owe the Clippers from the Ivica Zubac trade and was not touching the Clippers’ own pick, meaning the Sixers’ right to swap that pick remains intact.
NBA Courtside: Thaddeus Young says even though the Clippers lost 5 draft picks they’re still not in a bad position: “Because they made three trades before this actually happened. Which makes me believe also they knew something was coming. The first trade was Harden for Garland, right? Second trade was Zubac, right? The third trade was Kawhi. You get Toronto picks you got picks for Zubac, right? You got Garland which is pretty good fu*king point guard, right? 10 years younger than Harden. So essentially you saying, “Hey, I got to go ahead and set my team up for these next couple years just to be just decent.”
Tomer Azarly: Saw some confusion about this, but I can confirm per a league source that the LA Clippers will be losing the 2029 first round pick they received from the Indiana Pacers in the Ivica Zubac trade. Believe @ZachLowe_NBA was first to report that.
Zach Lowe: Emergency ZL Show coming later tonight, but one detail for now -- sources say that in 2029 the Clippers will be forfeiting the Indiana Pacers pick obtained via the Zubac trade, but that the pick will not be returned to the Pacers.
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Tony East: Have a lso been told this. Pacers 2029 unprotected pick sent to Clippers for Ivica Zubac is the one being stripped in this punishment.
Ivica Zubac posted 24 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks to help Croatia edge the Netherlands 101-99. The center shot 8-of-10 from the field, while Dario Saric matched his 24 points and added six assists. Luka Bozic scored 18 and Mario Hezonja finished with 16.
Moussa Diabate: "I feel like I took a piece from a lot of them just from talking to them or just like observing. Like I always say, Russell Westbrook, I feel like just observing his daily habits and just like his approach to the game was very big for me. Kawhi, just like how he break down the game, just like his patience and even Kawhi, I feel like that defensively also, just how he moves, I think that was very good for me. Even like Ivica Zubac, just talking to Ivica Zubac, Nicolas Batum, just like talking to all them guys, I've learned, so you know, Marcus Morris was also a big one, just talking to them, just like listening, like, 'Okay, boom, that's how I got to be.' John Wall, just talking to him, like, 'Okay, like you got to do this, you got to do that.' Just like they would pretty much just give me advice of how to like, you know, stay in the league for real."
Keith Smith: Another big game for Mario Hezonja as Croatia rolled over Latvia: 28/3/7. Karlo Matkovic had a big night too: 17 points on 8-for-8 shooting. Ivica Zubac had 6 points (all FTs) and 8 rebounds.
Joey Linn: When the Clippers made the Ivica Zubac trade, Lawrence Frank was pretty open that it was primarily about the picks. LA was happy to get Bennedict Mathurin, and he had some good moments, but there clearly wasn’t a huge urgency to keep him.
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Haliburton has said repeatedly that he's pleased with the addition of center Ivica Zubac from a February trade. Zubac played in just five games for the Pacers between an ankle injury and a season-ending fractured rib so he didn't get to play with Siakam let alone Haliburton. Haliburton said they still haven't had a chance to work together. "I have had zero court time with Zu," Haliburton said. "But I don't think that's a concern. I really don't. He'll get back out here after playing with his country in September-ish. That's typically when we all come in. I really don't have a concern because he's very smart. ... There is going to be a transition period for me because the last time I played it was with a guy who really spaced the floor at the 5. But I've never played with a screen setter like this. I've never played with a roller like this. I'm really looking forward to it."
You played with Zach Edey at Purdue, and now you’re playing with Ivica Zubac in Indiana. They’re both traditional back-to-the-basket, post-up guys, which is rare in today’s league. What aspects of your game do you feel translate well from when you played with Edey to now, hopefully with Zubac? Braden Smith: Obviously, two big dudes and being able to play with those guys and learn how to play with them. I think it was important for me, especially early on in my first two years of college, to be with Zach. So I think it just sets you up because if you are trying to go play in the league and do those things, that’s who you’re going to get. Those are the type of guys you’re going to have to play with and learn to play with, so for me, I think it’s just a head start to that. Obviously, having Zubac on the team and being able to play with another guy very similar to that. I think it only benefits me even more because I already know how to play with a caliber player like that, and it really just makes it that much better.
Yossi Gozlan: Now we await the results of the Aspiration investigation. The Clippers have 9 first-round picks now, but that amount could be reduced if penalized. Between this and the Zubac trade, it makes sense to load up on first-round picks just in case.
Ivica Zubac won't be flying completely blind in 2026-27, but he'll still be adjusting along the way. His offseason will be important, as will training camp. That's one advantage of getting the trade done in February, Zubac is a member of the Pacers for the entire offseason. Some of the team's assistant coaches, including Jenny Bouckey and Jim Boylen, have been with Zubac in Europe this summer. "Definitely helped with [getting] a feel for how this team wants to play, about the pace, about defensive coverages, the defensive rotations," Zubac said of what he got out of his abbreviated Pacers season. "Offensively, where they want me to be, what they want me to do. So it definitely helped. I wish [there] were more games to get a better feel for it. But I kind of understood what they want from me, and (I've) got the whole summer to get in the best shape of my life and get ready for the next year."
