When the LA Clippers dealt Ivica Zubac and James Harden at last season's trade deadline, it took a lot of NBA fans by surprise. The Clippers had righted the ship after a disastrous start and were seemingly headed for a postseason appearance. Even though the Clippers missed the playoffs last season and are off to a disastrous start this season, both of those trades look like home run deals.

Especially the Zubac trade looks even better now than it did nine months ago.

Clippers Traded Ivica Zubac at the Perfect Time

The Indiana Pacers' offer for Zubac was simply too good to turn down. The Pacers sent a 2026 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, Bennedict Mathurin, and Isaiah Jackson to the Clippers.

The 2026 first-round pick ended up being the fifth-overall pick, which the Clippers used to select Keaton Wagler. The Clippers opted to let Mathurin walk in free agency, and Jackson has been getting consistent rotation minutes at center. The Clippers will still get Indiana's unprotected 2029 pick, and looking at where the Pacers are this season, that could also be a lottery selection.

But the main reason why this deal looks even better for the Clippers now is how Zubac has been playing.

Zubac played only five games for the Pacers last season. This was partly due to an ankle injury, but mostly because the Pacers were tanking.

This season, they were hoping for the Croatian center to get back to his usual standard. The thought was that if the 29-year-old big man played at his 2024-25 level, when he made the All-Defensive second team, then the Pacers could be a title contender once again.

So far, that hasn't been the case.

Zubac suffered another ankle injury to start the season. He missed five games before making his return on Wednesday. In 19 minutes of action against the Grizzlies, Zubac went 0/5 from the field for one point and four rebounds. The Pacers lost his minutes by 22 points.

It's still early in the season, but Zubac is off to a terrible start. He is averaging 7.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game. He has more turnovers than assists, and he is shooting a career-worst 48% from the field.

Zubac should play better going forward. But it's difficult to imagine him playing at a level where he is worth the package the Pacers gave up for him.

If the Clippers had kept Zubac past the trade deadline and decided to trade him this season, they would have gotten a far worse deal. They wouldn't have Wagler on the team, and they probably wouldn't get more than a single first-round pick.

The front office in LA has made a lot of questionable moves in recent years, but trading Zubac at the time they did wasn't one of them. If anything, it's the best move they made, setting the franchise up for the future.