Center Ivica Zubac has been a constant in the Los Angeles Clippers lineup for four year since the team acquired him during the 2019 trade deadline. During an appearance on Podcast P, he explained how his surprise move from the the Lakers went down.
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Zubac recalled the Lakers’ young core of him, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma were worried about their futures. The Lakers were in trade talks with the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire Anthony Davis. However, their demands were too steep and the Lakers seemed to have moved on. Instead, they traded Zubac to the Clippers for Mike Muscala. Recalling how it went down, the center said,
“I was in Boston. They called me like 15 minutes before the deadline. Magic [Johnson] and Rob [Pelinka] on the phone. They are like, ‘We are trading you. Appreciate you for everything. Blah blah blah.’ And I’m like, ‘Just tell me where I am going.’ They say, ‘Clippers'”
Zubac claimed he was relieved to know he wouldn’t have to move houses after being traded. He was then also given some good news, which was that the team had waived center Marcin Gortat, which ensured that he’d get plenty of game time on his new team. Zubac revealed he was grateful to Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka for trading him to a team that would utilize his talents.
On trade deadline day in 2019, the Lakers were scheduled to play the Boston Celtics. Zubac was traded to the Clippers before the game, so he had to travel to where the Clippers’ next game was. He looked up the schedule and was delighted. He recalled:
“The Clippers were playing in Indiana that night and they’re flying to Boston tomorrow. So I didn’t need to switch hotels. Played a game in Boston [for the Clippers] and went back to the same house in LA. Same everything. Easiest trade ever.”
Zubac started 25 games for the Clippers in 2019 and immediately impressed the team. They handed him a three-year extension in the offseason and earmarked him as a vital asset in the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era. Zubac is now in his sixth season with the team. He is under contract until 2025. He’s the longest-tenured Clipper on the roster alongside Leonard and George. That speaks volumes about his importance to the franchise.
The contrasting deadline day experience of Ivica Zubac and Harrison Barnes
Ivica Zubac had about as smooth a trade deadline day experience as a player could wish for, however, Harrison Barnes wasn’t nearly as fortunate. During the 2019 trade deadline, the then-Dallas Mavericks star was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph. While the trade itself wasn’t very shocking, the timing was.
Barnes was trying to lead the Mavericks to a win over the Charlotte Hornets when news broke that the team had traded him to the Kings. He was then forced to sit on the bench and watch the game, creating an awkward dynamic.
Barnes was understandably miffed about the entire situation, and he wasn’t the only one. LeBron James vented his frustration about the optics of the trade on Instagram. He wrote:
“So let me guess this is cool cause they had to do what was best for the franchise right??? Traded this man while he was literally playing in the game and had ZERO idea. I’m not knocking who traded him because it’s a business and you have to do what you feel what’s best but I just want this narrative to start to get REAL/CHANGE and not when a player wants to be traded or leaves a Franchise that he’s a selfish/ungrateful player but when they trade you, release , waive, cut etc etc it’s best for them! I’m ok with both honestly, truly am. Just call a [spade] a [spade]!!”
James was right on the money with his take. Athletes are expected to showcase loyalty to their teams, even if the franchise isn’t contending for titles or is in a bad spot. However, teams are allowed to use players as nothing more than assets and move them around with impunity. The party line, “It’s just business,” seems to be applicable only when teams make moves to improve their odds of winning.
But if a player demands a trade, or doesn’t re-commit in free agency, they are called backstabbers, traitors. The hypocrisy of the narrative can understandably become mind-numbing for those in the NBA.
