Well, big Clippers news dropped today, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting the Clippers have signed starting center Ivica Zubac to a three-year, $58.6M contract extension. Zu is going into the last year of a three-year, $32M deal, meaning the Clippers now have him under contract for four years and $70M in total – through the 2028 season.
This was the largest extension the Clippers could sign Zu to under the CBA rules, a strong show of confidence in the big man from Croatia. Despite seemingly having been in the NBA for forever, Zu is just 27, meaning that he will now be under contract until he is 32 – the Clippers have secured his services for the rest of his playing prime.
This is a fantastic deal for both Zubac and the Clippers. For Zu, this is a significant raise, with his average salary going from under $11M per year to over $19M per year. This deal will pay him just more than his salary earnings of his first nine seasons (across three different deals) combined. It’s maybe not a massive bag for NBA standards, but this is a significant chunk of money for anyone, and a real security blanket for Zu as he enters his 30s.
This was a no-brainer extension for the Clippers. Zu is not a star, but he is a very good defensive player, a strong rebounder, a good finisher, and an excellent screen setter. Zu is also durable, which makes him even more valuable on a Clippers’ team that has too often missed key players at key moments. Zu has played in 72, 72, 76, 76, and 68 games in his five full seasons on the team, and has reached minutes totals in the high 20s the last two years. There just aren’t many more consistent or solid centers in the NBA than big Zu, who has frequently been underrated not just in broader NBA discussions but also by his own fanbase (remember when people thought Mason Plumlee should start over Zu? Good times).
There’s also some upside in this deal. I don’t think Zu himself will be a substantially better player this year – after 8 seasons and 11K minutes he probably is who he is – but he will have more opportunity this season. With Paul George and Russell Westbrook gone, the Clippers will need to give their shots somewhere, and the players the Clippers added in free agency are largely defensive-first guys. James Harden will take more shots, as might players like Terance Mann, but Zu is a very natural option to move up in the Clippers’ offensive pecking order. Zu averaged a career high 11.7 points per game last year while shooting 64.9% from the field, and there’s no reason he can’t get that up to 14-15 points per game considering the efficacy of his post game.
Just to cover the downside, it is possible that the last year or two of this deal could look “bad” if Zu slides as he enters his 30s. However, with the cap going up, even $20M won’t be that much money by 2028, so hopefully that balance counteracts any slippage. There’s some possibility for things going wrong, but its a very good deal and Zu is absolutely worthy of it.
Congratulations to Ivica Zubac and the Clippers for this extension. Zu is already the longest-tenured player on the team, and now has the chance to be one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history! Hopefully he stays healthy and helps keep the Clippers in the playoff picture for the rest of his time with the team.
