The Clippers are playing on the second night of a back-to-back on top of travel and going on the road, but the good news is that star midseason acquisition Darius Garland is all set to make his Clippers’ debut.

Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

When: 7:00

How to Watch: Peacock, NBC Sports Network, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Brook Lopez

Warriors: Brandin Podziemski – Moses Moody – De’Anthony Melton – Gui Santos – Draymond Green

Injuries

Clippers: John Collins Questionable (Neck), Darius Garland Probable (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Warriors: Steph Curry Out (Knee), Kristaps Porzingis Out (Illness), Jimmy Butler Out (Knee), Seth Curry Out (Sciatica), Will Richard Out (Knee), Gary Payton II Questionable (Ankle)

Notes

Garland Playing: All of the reporting is that Darius Garland will play tonight, meaning he will have just over 20 games with the Clippers this season. It’s possible Garland comes off the bench, as I’d guess he has a minutes restriction tonight, but considering he’s going to start sooner or later, giving him more times with the starters makes sense. I doubt he plays more than like 28 minutes but I think he will start tonight.

Collins Questionable: John Collins came back last night from a couple game absence and looked really good, but unfortunately left the game in the 4th quarter after taking some whiplash. Considering he missed games with a neck injury, Collins possibly re-damaging his neck means I’d be a bit surprised if he played tonight. It’s too bad, as it seemed like the Clippers might actually be fully healthy. Hopefully I’m wrong and John is able to suit up alongside Darius.

Clippers vs Warriors Game Thread: Garland’s First Game
Robert Flom

The Clippers have lost three games in a row, and have a chance to get right against the lottery-bound Pelicans after multiple days off.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 6:00 PM PT

How to Watch: KTLA, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Pelicans: Dejounte Murray – Herb Jones – Saddiq Bey – Trey Murphy – Zion Williamson

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Pelicans: Trey Murphy Questionable (Shoulder)

Clippers: Collins Questionable (Head/Neck), Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers have lost three games in a row, less due to poor play or effort and instead just due to missing players and a lack of firepower. The good news is that reinforcements are on the way: Kawhi is off the injury report, John Collins is questionable, and Darius Garland seems primed for a return on Monday. The Clippers are also still attached in the West playoff picture, as none of the teams ahead of them (Suns, Warriors, or Blazers) is winning games at a high rate either. If the Clippers can just get healthy and stay relatively healthy the last 20 games of the season, they seem primed to make a run up the standings.

The Antagonist

The Pelicans have had a very odd season. Their trade in the summer of 2025 that surrendered their 2026 1^st round pick for the right to draft Derik Queen has colored their entire season, as instead of being a fun young team that is adding more talent, the Pelicans instead are a bad team that was trying to be good and failed miserably without even getting a prize at the end in a top lottery pick. What’s even stranger is a lot of the Pelicans’ players have had good or promising seasons, but a combination of poor health and youth has made winning difficult. The Pels have won four games in a row, and do have a good amount of talent on their team now that they’re healthier, but this is still a game the Clippers have to win if they view themselves as a serious team.

Notes

John Collins Is a Big Deal: One of the reasons that the Clippers struggled so mightily to start the season is that their biggest offseason acquisition, John Collins, significantly underperformed expectations. Conversely, Collins’ midseason turnaround was probably the second-biggest factor in the Clippers’ shocking jump from awful to awesome starting in mid-December. The Clippers have greatly missed him the past few games, and he’d be a huge absence in this game, as he’s by far the Clippers’ best option to guard Zion Williamson. Zion would have a strength advantage on Collins, but not nearly as much as he’d have on Nic Batum, Kobe Sanders, or any other non-Kawhi Clippers’ perimeter player, and the Clippers probably don’t want to have to “waste” Kawhi’s energy in guarding Zion. Collins not being available could be the swing factor in this one, so hopefully he’s back for this contest.

Bogi Back, Sort Of: The Clippers loss to the Wolves on Thursday was not very notable, as the undermanned Clippers played hard but did not have the talent to secure the win. The most interesting element of the game was that Bogdan Bogdanovic was in the rotation, logging 17 minutes. This was only the second time that Bogi has played since December 26, and his only other appearance was around the trade deadline when the Clippers were extremely short-handed. This could be nothing – it probably is – but with Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller flatlining a bit, the door remains open for Bogi to re-enter the rotation at some point. He wasn’t particularly good on Thursday, but he wasn’t awful either, and his veteran status might earn him one last chance. If Collins is still out tonight, this could be another opportunity for Bogi to get some run. Or maybe Kawhi’s return is enough to push him back to the pine.

Clippers vs Pelicans Preview: Trying to Get Back on Track
Robert Flom

The Clippers have had several days off to mull over their late-game losses to the Lakers and Magic, but are unfortunately still not healthy with the mercurial Timberwolves coming to town.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Wolves: Anthony Edwards – Donte DiVincenzo – Jaden McDaniels – Julius Randle – Rudy Gobert

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Wolves: None

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), John Collins Questionable (Head/Neck), Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers have had back to back tough losses, falling short at the final buzzer against both the Lakers and the Magic. They’ve played hard and mostly played pretty well, but the shooting has not been there, not has the overall offensive creation. Unfortunately, this is a team that is weakened at point guard, power forward, and center positions due to the Harden trade/Garland injury, Collins injury, and Zubac trade – they are just really short on juice right now. Fortunately, Collins should be back soon, and Garland is practicing 5 on 5, which means his Clippers debut should be coming shortly. It won’t be a minute too soon, either: while the Clippers have done yeoman’s work in staying afloat, they desperately need Garland’s shooting, scoring, ballhandling, and playmaking.

The Antagonist

The Timberwolves have kept up in the Western Conference playoff race, as they currently sit at 5^th in the standings but are just a half-game back of 3^rd. Despite their standing, the Wolves’ rollercoaster of a season has continued, with excellent wins followed by disappointing losses. The Clippers themselves were responsible for one of those losses a couple of weeks ago, comprehensively beating the Timberwolves despite being quite short-handed. The Wolves’ defense is not as good as it should be, though their offense has been juiced up a bit by mid-season acquisition Ayo Dosunmu. The Wolves should be heavily favored against a beat-up Clippers team, even with this game being played at Intuit. Will the Timberwolves actually show up and execute against a “lesser” opponent? Clippers fans will have to be hoping for a negative answer.

Notes

The Turnover Battle: In many ways, the NBA is a game about possessions – who gets more shots up and who controls the game. The Clippers are not great at rebounding the basketball or at taking care of the basketball, while the Wolves are a good rebounding team and exactly average in turnover rate. This would seem to give the advantage in the possession game to the Wolves. However, the Wolves can get very, very sloppy with the ball, especially when games get close, and the Clippers are decent at getting steals. If the game is close, the Clippers need to keep their defensive pressure high, and the Wolves might unravel for them. The key, of course, will not be succumbing the other way.

Clippers vs Wolves Preview: Another Tough Home Game
Robert Flom

The Clippers are coming off a tough loss to the Lakers, but the good news is they are back in the friendly confines of Intuit Dome, where they’ve been excellent most of the season.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 6:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Magic: Jalen Suggs – Anthony Black – Desmond Bane – Paolo Banchero – Wendell Carter Jr.

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Nic Batum – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Magic: Jalen Suggs Questionable (Back), Franz Wagner Out (Ankle)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Ankle), John Collins Out (Head), Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers had a mixed bag in their first two games after the All Star Break. Their win over the Nuggets on Thursday was one of their best of the entire season, a rollicking victory that featured a monster performance from Bennedict Mathurin. The loss to the Lakers on Friday was extremely hard-fought and featured the Clippers at their scrappy best, but ultimately injuries to Kawhi Leonard and John Collins plus Mathurin fouling out meant they did not have the horsepower to secure the win. Still, if nothing else, the Clippers appear to have firmly rediscovered their tough identity that made them such a fun watch during the 2025 season. That grittiness will help them win a good chunk of games the rest of the season even if Garland continues to miss time.

The Antagonist

The Magic are one of the few teams that can claim a season as disappointing as the Clippers. Pegged by many (including myself) as a sleeper contender in the East, instead the Magic have lurked around a .500 record all season and have had near-constant rumors about firing head coach Jamahl Mosely. Some of the Magic’s struggles can be blamed on injury: their best player, Franz Wagner, has missed just over half the season, while Jalen Suggs, the heart and soul of the team, has missed an additional 20 games. Still, that doesn’t fully explain away the vibes or the defense that has declined significantly from the past couple seasons. Paolo Banchero is at the center of a lot of the Magic’s misery – while his struggles have probably been overstated a bit, he certainly has not made the leap to superstardom that the Magic were banking on. One piece of good news for the Magic is that third-year player Anthony Black has made a huge leap, moving from a decent bench guard to a very capable starting-level player with room for more. On any given night the Magic could look extremely dangerous or awful, so the Clippers have to be prepared.

Notes

Rotation Adjustments: The Clippers’ rotations have seemingly solidified after the All-Star break, though injuries to Kawhi Leonard and John Collins (neither seem serious) and the return of Darius Garland (hopefully not too long from now) could shake things up. The Clippers are starting Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Kawhi Leonard, and Brook Lopez, a very defense-first unit that is light on ballhandling and creation but full of competent veterans. Bennedict Mathurin is the clear 6^th man and on any given night might close and/or play more minutes than most of the starters. After that, Jordan Miller and Nic Batum fill out the rest of the wing rotation, with Yanic Konan Niederhauser backing up Lopez. Notably, Kobe Sanders has not played the last two games after being a key part of the Clippers’ rotation for most of the middle part of the season (I’d expect him to play tonight with Collins Out). And, continuing the trend from before the All-Star break, Bogdan Bogdanovic is out of the rotation – though Ty Lue did indicate he would get a chance at some point. Overall, I think this is probably the right group of nine guys if the Clippers are trying to win games, though I wish Isaiah Jackson would get a look at center at some point.

Clippers vs Magic Preview: Homestand Continues
Robert Flom

The Clippers start the last third of their season with a bang of a bad sort, coming off a tough night against the Nuggets with a back-to-back against the cross-town Lakers.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Lakers: Luka Doncic – Austin Reaves – Marcus Smart – LeBron James – DeAndre Ayton

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Lakers: None

Notes

The Clippers have matched up well with the Lakers in the past few years, but the Lakers have a rest advantage and are healthier, so this will be an uphill struggle for the Clippers. The Clippers might actually be more athletic than the Lakers, so maybe they can get the drop on the Lakers in the same way so many younger teams have done to them over the years.

Clippers vs Lakers Game Thread: Quick Back to Back
Robert Flom

The Clippers should be refreshed coming out of the All Star break, but will have a tough first game against their long-time foe, the Denver Nuggets.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Jalen Pickett – Christian Braun – Cam Johnson – Nikola Jokic

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Nuggets: Aaron Gordon Out (Hamstring), Peyton Watson Out (Hamstring), Jalen Pickett Probable (Knee)

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers move into the final third of the season situated snugly in a tie for 9^th in the Western Conference with the Portland Trailblazers. There’s not a ton of mobility in the Clippers’ situation: they are way ahead of the 11^th seed Grizzlies (who are tanking) and 12^th seed Mavericks (tanking even harder), and 5.5 games behind the 7^th seed Suns. Really, their realistic range for the rest of the season is somewhere between 8 and 10, with the Warriors at the 8^th seed looking somewhat vulnerable. Still, the Blazers are going to be trying to win too, and are healthier now than they’ve been all season. Hopefully the Clippers can get as high as 8, but they will almost certainly make the postseason barring a true disaster.

The Antagonist

The Denver Nuggets have had a bit of an odd season, entering the season as one of the favorites in the West and gaining even more respect due to the breakouts of some of their young guys, but also gathering doubters due to the health issues of third-best player Aaron Gordon. Still, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun appear healthy after lengthy injury absences, as those two plus Nikola Jokic and first-time All-Star Jamal Murray is plenty of firepower regardless. Sitting at 3^rd in the West, Denver is 3.5 games back of San Antonio and 6.5 back of Oklahoma City, so it will be a tough challenge for them to move up in the standings. Another potential reason to be skeptical is that several teams are not far behind them – the Timberwolves, Lakers, and Rockets are all close by. That said, while the Nuggets aren’t my pick to win the championship, they are a pretty logical one due to the overwhelming power of Jokic and Denver’s newfound depth.

Notes

No Garland: Clippers’ fans hopeful that the team’s new star acquisition would be available after the All-Star Break were let down hard today with the news that Darius Garland will miss this game as well as tomorrow’s contest against the Lakers and is week-to-week. Law Murray of the Athletic has said Garland’s likely debut is in March, meaning he will miss a handful more games. I’m not all that stressed about the standings, but I really want to see Garland play with the Clippers’ young cadre of players including Bennedict Mathurin, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Kobe Sanders, and Jordan Miller, and it’s a bummer he’s not ready to go yet.

Clippers vs Nuggets Preview: Coming out of the All Star Break
Robert Flom

The Clippers face off against the Rockets again, 24 hours after their loss last night in Houston.

Game Information

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Rockets: Amen Thompson – Tari Eason – Kevin Durant – Jabari Smith Jr. – Alperen Sengun

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Rockets: Fred VanVleet Out (Knee), Steven Adams Out (Knee)

Notes

New Rotations: Bennedict Mathurin’s first game in a Clippers jersey yesterday saw some pretty major shifts to the rotation. First, Cam Christie, who’s been playing rotation minutes for a bit, was moved out of the lineup. Not that big a deal. More surprisingly, Nic Batum did not enter the game yesterday. There have been points the past year or so that Nico has faded out of the rotation, but it was something to keep note of. The Clippers trust Batum and he’s still been a valuable role player this year, so I think him getting phased out is more just that the Clippers are confident he can plug and play, and want to see other combinations for the moment.

Clippers vs Rockets Game Thread: Run it Back
Robert Flom

The Clippers pulled off an incredible road win on Sunday night and will face another challenging road game against the Rockets.

Game Information

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Rockets: Reed Sheppard – Amen Thompson – Jabari Smith Jr. – Kevin Durant – Alperen Sengun

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Rockets: Fred VanVleet Out (Knee), Steven Adams Out (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers pulled off probably their most shocking win of the entire season on Sunday, routing the Wolves on the road in Minneapolis. Kawhi Leonard was absolutely dominant, as he has been for two months, John Collins was very solid, Kris Dunn played great defense on Anthony Edwards, and the Clippers got just enough scoring from the supporting cast to stay ahead of the Wolves. The Clippers’ defense was particularly impressive in limiting the Wolves’ attack, continuing their recent trend of improved play on that end. They won’t always be so good in their execution, but their level of effort alone will keep them winning games if they keep up what they’ve been doing.

The Antagonist

The Rockets are somewhat similar to the Clippers’ previous opponent, the Timberwolves, in that they have a very impressive record (32-19) and strong advanced metrics but are much worse than that in the vibes department. There have been a number of instances over the past month or so where coach Ime Udoka has been frustrated with his team, and a similar number of occurrences of the players being frustrated with each other. The Rockets are just an odd team that reshaped itself around offensive rebounding after the preseason injury to Fred VanVleet, but has lost that element with the season-ending injury to Steven Adams. The Rockets have a lot of talent, but the lack of shooting on the roster outside of Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard has been glaring, as has the absence of a steady ballhandler. Their defense is legit, and Durant and Sengun are a good one-two punch, but the Rockets don’t seem like they have the firepower to be a true contender this year.

Notes

Reinforcements Are Here: Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson will be active for the Clippers tonight for the first time. I don’t think that Jackson will be in the rotation (Brook is locked in as the starter and Yanic is playing too well as his backup), but we should get a long look at the Mathurin. My guess is that Mathurin comes off the bench for the Clippers, at least initially, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he started and Derrick Jones Jr. moved back to the bench. Mathurin has real flaws as a playmaker, defender, and decision-maker, but his raw scoring ability is needed on a Clippers team that has lacked juice on offense for much of the season. I would expect 20+ minutes for Mathurin right away, with Dunn, Kobe Sanders, and Jordan Miller all probably shedding a few minutes and Cam Christie probably leaving the rotation. I’m curious to see how Mathurin looks on a new team.

Rebound the Ball: The Rockets are not quite the offensive rebounding juggernaut the way they were earlier in the season when Steven Adams was starting, but they are still very good at collecting their own misses. They have size, length, and athleticism, and can dominate games on that end. The Clippers are a fine defensive rebounding team but will need to really hone in on the glass – if you force the Rockets into just a single shot, they aren’t going to generate a ton of good offense.

Clippers vs Rockets Preview: Another Tough Road Game
Robert Flom

The Clippers are traveling from sunny California to frigid Minnesota and will face a corresponding scale-up in level of opponent compared to the hapless Kings.

Game Information

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: 12:00 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Brook Lopez

Wolves: Donte DiVincenzo – Anthony Edwards – Jaden McDaniels – Julius Randle – Rudy Gobert

Injuries

Clippers: Darius Garland Out (Toe), Bennedict Mathurin Out (Trade), Isaiah Jackson Out (Trade), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Wolves: Terrence Shannon Jr. Questionable (Foot), Ayo Dosunmu Questionable (Trade), Julian Phillips Questionable (Trade)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are coming off a win on Friday night against the Kings that was not as easy as one might think. The shorthanded Clippers largely struggled on offense, particularly in the first half, before putting the Kings away down the stretch. They are still going to be without several key players in this one, and are facing a much, much tougher opponent in the Timberwolves. Kawhi Leonard and John Collins are playing great and will need to be on point against a Wolves team that plays two big men at nearly all times. The good news is that Kris Dunn has historically been one of the best Anthony Edwards defenders in the NBA, and if he continues that trend tonight the Clippers should have a real chance at pulling off the upset.

The Antagonist

The Wolves have had a rollercoaster of a season, mixing together stretches of dominance with some utterly baffling losses. They had one of those defeats on Friday, prompting Rudy Gobert to call out the team’s effort – and more specifically, the effort of the leaders (Julius Randle and Edwards). The Wolves’ coach, Chris Finch, pushed back on that criticism on Saturday, which probably didn’t make Rudy happy. In short, despite having a very good record and underlying metrics, there are some bad vibes and interpersonal tensions. Still, the Wolves might have their new pieces ready for action, and are just a much more talented team than the Clippers at this point.

Notes

Kobe Converted: Yesterday, news broke that the Clippers had converted Kobe Sanders’ contract from a two-way deal to a full minimum contract with a team option for next season. Outside of rewarding Kobe for his play by giving him more money, the Clippers will be able to keep playing Kobe (he was near the end of his limit for games played as a two-way guy) going forward. It’s nice to see this for Kobe, who has had ups-and-downs but has been quite reliable in general for a late second-round rookie. Hopefully he can keep up his play as the second half of the season progresses.

Clippers vs Timberwolves Preview: An Icy Visit to Minneapolis
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ trade of Ivica Zubac on Thursday at the trade deadline didn’t just mark the end of the tenure of one of the Clippers’ best players in franchise history, it signified the end of a whole era. Zubac was the longest-tenured player on the team, the last remnant of the pre-Kawhi Clippers. With Zu gone, Jordan Miller (in his 3^rd season!) is now the second-tenured Clipper behind Kawhi. This team has been torn down to the studs the past couple years, and continues to pivot into the future.

Zu was moved (alongside Kobe Brown) for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, the Pacers’ 2026 1^st round pick (protected 1-4 and 10-30), the Pacers’ 2029 1^st round pick, and the Mavs’ 2028 2^nd round pick. While Zu has been a pillar of this team for seven years, that is a package that I think was just impossible to pass up. If we’d found out the Clippers had received that offer and declined it, I think the general tenor of the fanbase would have been displeased.

It’s tough to let go of Zu. He grew up with the team, arriving as a somewhat raw but promising young player and departing as one of the sturdiest and most reliable starting centers in the NBA. A stout defensive player for much of his career, Zu has matured on the offensive end, becoming a quicker decision-maker and cleverer scorer around the rim. He’s a double-double machine who offers plus play on both sides of the ball, something that not very many big men can provide. Zu is also constantly available; he’s rarely been injured, and almost never suffered anything serious. That availability has been huge for the Clippers over the years as they dealt with unreliable stars.

All that said, why trade Zu now? He’s on a fantastic contract (just over $40M over the next two years when he’s worth much more than that), will be 29 in March, and has a game that should age well. One part is the sheer value – he was never going to net more in a trade than this. The other is that even though Zu is in his prime, this Clippers’ team was clearly not going anywhere. While they’d made great strides over the past two months to move back into the play-in in the West, the Clippers deduced (correctly) that this team’s ceiling was a first-round playoff loss (and probably not a competitive one). With Harden and Kawhi aging, and no true young difference makers on the roster, the chances of turning the Clippers around in the next couple of years seemed unlikely. By the summer of 2027, when the Clippers are hoping to find their next superstar, Zu would be 30 and going into the last year of his deal. It’s possible Zu could have been around for the next great Clippers’ team, but the Clippers decided that the value they are getting from him would be more likely to help create that new era.

Let’s look at what the Clippers got. The prize is clearly this year’s Pacers’ pick. It will only go to the Clippers if it lands in the 5 to 9 range in the draft, but the chances of that are around 50-50 unless the Pacers start winning a lot the second half of the season (unlikely). If the Pacers stay as one of the three worst teams in the league, the Clippers’ chances of getting the pick will hover around 48-50%, but it will be most likely they’d get pick 5 or 6 if it does convey. If the Pacers win more and get the fifth, sixth, or seventh best lottery odds, the Clippers’ chances of getting the pick goes into the 60s, but it will be more likely picks 7-9. Regardless, that’s an immense asset in an absolutely loaded 2026 draft. Pick 5 would be ideal, of course, but the Clippers would have a chance at a star player anywhere in their range. If it doesn’t convey this year, the Clippers will get the Pacers’ unprotected 2031 pick, which is also extremely valuable: Pascal Siakam will be retired, Zu will be in his mid-30s, and Haliburton will be in his 30s as well. If, on draft day, the Clippers were offered pick 5 or even 6 straight up for Zu, I’d probably say yes. That the Clippers got a lot of other stuff shows the value of this deal.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Bennedict Mathurin. Benn can score, absolutely no doubt about it: in his four NBA seasons, he’s never averaged less than 14.5 points per game. This season, Mathurin is averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (5.4), assists (2.3), three-point volume (5.6 attempts), and three-point percentage (37.2). That all sounds promising! The problem is that despite being a highly athletic, full-sized shooting guard (6’5, 210), Mathurin has consistently rated as a poor defender. He’s also a flawed playmaker, averaging just under one assist to turnover in his career and with consistent blinders on during drives. It’s hard to be a starting level player as a guard with those flaws – we have seen Norm Powell excel as that type of player but with clear weaknesses that were frustrating, and Norm is the optimized version of Mathurin.

All that said, Mathurin is just 23 years old (turns 24 in June), and plenty of players have made leaps later in their career. His three-point shooting improving significantly this year is a massive deal. If he can continue this level of outside shooting, that shooting packaged with his driving and ability to get to the free throw line will make him at the least an efficient bench scorer. The Clippers can get a look at him the rest of this season and then have the chance to re-sign him in restricted free agency this summer. I’m skeptical Mathurin will turn into a star (his impact numbers are really bad), but there’s certainly a chance he could be an excellent sixth man or starting-level player that could be around the Clippers for the long haul.

Isaiah Jackson is not nothing, either. The 22^nd pick of the 2021 Draft, Jackson has been with the Pacers his whole career in a backup center role. His best season was 2024, when impact metrics valued him as one of the better backups in the entire league. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles five games into the 2025 season, and has not been quite the same this season. However, Jackson is just 24 years old, and a torn Achilles is a two-year injury. He signed to a 3-year, $21M deal last summer, so the Clippers have him under contract for two more seasons at a very reasonable cost. I think he can definitely return to being a solid backup big man those two seasons, and having that type of player under a cheap-ish contract is a nice throw-in to this deal, even if Jackson probably doesn’t offer much more upside as an undersized big.

Add in to all these items the Pacers’ unprotected first round pick in 2029 (far enough out that it could be good) and a second round pick in 2028 (probably not that valuable but useful as trade ballast) as well as the Pacers taking back Kobe Brown (maintaining an open roster spot) and the deal moves into the “stunningly good value” range for me. Ivica Zubac is awesome and I will miss him on the Clippers, but this trade could turn the Clippers’ franchise around either through a top pick in this draft, through moving off of the acquired assets for a star in a future deal, or even through a Mathurin breakout. I’ll write more about Zu (as well as Kobe Brown!) in our annual end-of-season exit interviews, but it’s hard for me to give this trade anything other than a long round of applause. Kudos to Lawrence Frank and the rest of the Clippers’ front office in pulling this deal off.

The Clippers Trade Ivica Zubac for Picks, Mathurin, Jackson
Robert Flom