The Indiana Pacers retooled their frontcourt by acquiring Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and several draft picks during the trade deadline earlier this month.
During a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast, LeBron James and Steve Nash chimed in on the move, and the two former league MVPs believe that Zubac will thrive with the Indiana Pacers, especially once Tyrese Haliburton returns from his Achilles injury.
“He’s gigantic. I don’t think a lot of people understand how big he is. Great hands around the rim. Great touch,” James said of Zubac. “Obviously, he worked well with James (Harden). I think it’s a great pickup for Indy, especially going into the future after losing Myles Turner to Milwaukee. Two different players… Kudos to Indiana bringing him in there. They saw his talent, he’s still young, relatively, and I think he’s gonna be good, and I think Tyrese is gonna love him.”
“Not the spacer that Myles Turner was, but he’s so good around the rim. He can play in the roll and in the short pocket, great hands around the rim, but also rebounds, defends the rim. So yeah, I’m excited for Indy,” Nash added.
Indiana Pacers News: Rick Carlisle offers terse response to the team’s $100,000 tanking fine
Last week, the Indiana Pacers were levied a $100,000 fine for benching Pascal Siakam and two other starters in their 131-122 loss against the Utah Jazz, and head coach Rick Carlisle took the high road when he was asked about it during a recent media availability.
“I have no idea. And really no comment on it. We’re gonna manage our situation the way we need to do it,” Carlisle told IndyStar. “I’m so proud of the way that our players, organization, and fans have approached an extraordinarily challenging season.”
“We have been very consistent with how we have approached everything this year, and the NBA is aware of that. Communication with the league office has been productive. We will move forward with the same emphasis on competitiveness and development that I talked about on media day, Sept. 29, 2025,” he added.
