February 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nFor the Clippers, though, it was about looking ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Garland is 10 years younger than Harden and is locked into a long-term deal that runs through 2028-29.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clippers president Lawrence Frank said the team is “trying to get younger while continuing to win,” and Garland fits that goal on both ends.<\/p>\n
Zubac Shipped to Indiana<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Los Angeles received Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick in return.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
What Comes Next for the Clippers<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Clippers pivoted HARD and turned James Harden and Ivica Zubac into:<\/p>\n
– Darius Garland
– Bennedict Mathurin
– Two first-round picks, including a potential lottery pick.<\/p>\n
Hats off to the front office.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Grant “Money” Mona (@Gmona48) February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nThey 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kawhi Leonard will remain with the team for now, but his future in Los Angeles will be a major talking point this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For now, though, it is a new era in Inglewood.<\/p>\n