INDIANAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 The Indiana Pacers traded high-scoring swingman Bennedict Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson and two draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Ivica Zubac, a person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday.<\/p>\n
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been announced.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles also receives Indiana’s<\/a> protected 2026 first-round draft pick and a 2029 first-round pick. This year’s selection is protected if the Pacers have a top four selection or if it falls between selections 10 and 30.<\/p>\n The Pacers get the center they’ve needed since losing Myles Turner in free agency last summer. Zubac, who will turn 29 next month, is signed through the 2027-28 season and was a second team all-defensive team selection last year. He’s averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 61.3% from the field.<\/p>\n Mathurin was set to become a restricted free agent next summer, and it wasn’t clear if the Pacers could afford to keep him. He recently returned from toe and thumb injuries that kept him out for most of January. He’s averaging 17.8 points and 5.4 rebounds this season and has improved significantly as a defender this season.<\/p>\n Jackson has started 14 times in 38 games played this season and is averaging 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 58.2% from the field.<\/p>\n The move comes just days after the Clippers also traded James Harden to Cleveland<\/a> and adds more draft picks to Los Angeles’ growing stockpile of selections.<\/p>\n