The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the hottest teams in the NBA heading into the trade deadline, and nobody saw what came next. 

After rattling off a 16-3 stretch that pulled them from the bottom of the Western Conference standings all the way into play-in position, the front office decided to blow it up. 

In the span of just a few days, the Clippers moved their second- and third-best players, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, turning what looked like a late-season push into a full-blown rebuild on the fly.

The Clippers now sit at 23-27 on the season and are left with more questions than answers as they head into All-Star Weekend as the host team at Intuit Dome.

Harden Heads to Cleveland

The first domino fell on Tuesday when the Clippers sent 11-time All-Star James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for two-time All-Star Darius Garland and a second-round pick.

 Harden had been the engine that kept Los Angeles afloat all season, averaging 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game while carrying the team through a brutal 6-21 start. 

He was having his best scoring season in six years, so the move caught almost everyone off guard.

BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Prolific swap of the star point guards. pic.twitter.com/IHhhhabJnX

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026

For the Clippers, though, it was about looking ahead. 

Garland is 10 years younger than Harden and is locked into a long-term deal that runs through 2028-29. 

He is recovering from a toe injury that has kept him out since January 14, but when healthy he is a strong scorer and playmaker who averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists last season. 

Clippers president Lawrence Frank said the team is “trying to get younger while continuing to win,” and Garland fits that goal on both ends.

Zubac Shipped to Indiana

The Clippers were not done there. On Thursday, they sent starting center Ivica Zubac and forward Kobe Brown to the Indiana Pacers in a deal that brought back a big haul of young talent and draft picks. 

Los Angeles received Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick in return.

Zubac had been the longest-tenured Clipper on the roster, having joined the team back in 2019 after being traded from the cross-town rival Los Angeles Lakers. 

He was putting up 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this season while shooting over 61 percent from the floor, and he was coming off a career year in 2024-25 that earned him All-Defensive Second Team honors. 

The centerpiece coming back is Mathurin, a 23-year-old wing who has been averaging 17.8 points per game this season and gives Los Angeles the kind of young scoring talent they will need going forward.

What Comes Next for the Clippers

The draft capital is a big part of this, too. The Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick is protected 1-4 and 10-30, which means the Clippers only get it if it falls between the fifth and ninth picks.

Indiana currently has one of the worst records in the league, so there is close to a coin flip chance it lands in that range. If it does not, it turns into an unprotected 2031 first-rounder from Indiana, and the Clippers also picked up an unprotected 2029 first from the Pacers.

What makes the timing so shocking is that the Clippers had just gone on that incredible 16-3 run and seemed to have real momentum going. 

The Clippers pivoted HARD and turned James Harden and Ivica Zubac into:

– Darius Garland
– Bennedict Mathurin
– Two first-round picks, including a potential lottery pick.

Hats off to the front office.

— Grant “Money” Mona (@Gmona48) February 5, 2026

They had the oldest roster in the NBA this season with six core players aged 31 or older, and the front office clearly decided that a possible first-round exit in the playoffs was not worth passing up the chance to get younger and stockpile assets. 

Kawhi Leonard will remain with the team for now, but his future in Los Angeles will be a major talking point this offseason. 

For a franchise that came into the year swinging for the fences with a veteran-heavy roster, this was a pivot that nobody expected, and the ripple effects will be felt for years to come.

For now, though, it is a new era in Inglewood.