Pacers shouldn’t regret controversial Ivica Zubac trade despite lottery disaster

Despite the Washington Wizards winning the NBA Draft Lottery, much of the attention landed on the Indiana Pacers, who lost the No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers. Back in February, the Pacers made a bold move by trading Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, their 2026 first-round pick (if it fell between No. 5 and 9), a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.

Now that they lost their pick in a loaded draft class, many believe that this move has already backfired, and this year's season feels like a waste to some extent. Heck, Pacers president of basketball operations, Kevin Pritchard, even issued an apology to fans via Twitter.

There's no denying it was a massive risk, and right now it doesn't look good for the Pacers. Nevertheless, I believe this bold move will still pay off, and despite the unfortunate loss of their draft pick, this move was a worthy gamble.

Ivica Zubac could be the final piece of an Indiana Pacers' championship team

The Pacers were one game away from winning a championship last June, and with Tyrese Haliburton's return, there's no reason to believe they won't be in the championship mix again next season. However, following Myles Turner's departure in free agency (more on that later), the Pacers desperately needed a center. And frankly, without this move, Indiana wouldn't be a contender again. With all due respect, Jay Huff isn't going to cut it as the starting center on a championship team.

Furthermore, there's no better center the Pacers could have realistically obtained without giving up one of their core pieces. Sure, they could have filled this void with a solid starter in one way or another, but to win a championship, you need a high-end starting big man like Zubac.

Just ask the Boston Celtics how gambling on contending without a high-end center went.

It was paramount to make this move at the deadline, too, as Mathurin is set to enter restricted free agency this summer. Mathurin is a nice player, but the microwave scoring sixth man archetype is far less valuable than a high-end starting center.

Zubac gives the Pacers a much-needed paint presence on both ends of the floor. To match up with the league's best teams, this element is absolutely necessary.

Sometimes, to add a key championship piece, you have to overpay a bit in a vacuum. My favorite example is the Milwaukee Bucks trading four first-round picks for Jrue Holiday. And while it hasn't resulted in a championship yet, the Minnesota Timberwolves trading five first-round picks for Rudy Gobert paid dividends.

I get why the optics of the trade look horrible, but in the end, we could be talking about Zubac as the final piece to a championship-winning Pacers team, and if that happens, it will undoubtedly be worth the risk.

It's unlikely that the Pacers would have found an immediate contributor with the No. 5 pick

I want to be clear, whoever the Clippers draft will likely have a long and successful career. The most likely outcome is that the Clippers draft one of the many high-end lead guards with this pick. Whether it be Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, or someone else, guards dominate the lottery outside of the consensus top-four prospects.

Despite these players having tons of upside, let's be honest, they wouldn't play much with a loaded Pacers backcourt. Beyond Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and TJ McConnell would cut into these players' minutes. The Pacers' top priority should be winning, not developing young players. Outside of the top four, this year's draft doesn't offer a player more impactful than Zubac for the Pacers in the immediate future.

Had they traded this year's unprotected pick, that would have been reckless, but they didn't.

An easy counter could be that they should have waited to get their pick and possibly shopped for a better player than Zubac. However, there's no guarantee that you could have found such a deal. High-end centers are a hot commodity in an NBA that is trending to more size, and contending teams might have been hesitant to make such a move even for a high draft pick.

The Myles Turner question

I think the last point that I have to address is: What if the Pacers just kept Myles Turner? It's a valid question, no doubt about it. After all, the Pacers were one game away from winning the title with him, but they didn't want to sign him to a hefty contract. Ultimately, he left town for a lucrative four-year $108 million deal with the Bucks.

Turner saw a significant drop-off in production this year, which should vindicate the Pacers decision. Plus, not to bash Turner, but it's amazing the Pacers nearly beat the Thunder with him as their starting center, and as OKC continues to improve (along with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs lurking), it's hard to argue that he is a sustainable solution at the five-spot.

Sure, Turner is a great floor spacer for his size, but he doesn't rebound well, isn't a good one-on-one defender, and isn't a true interior threat on both sides of the ball. We saw these problems against the Thunder, where Turner averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and shot 37.7 percent from the field.

With his rebounding, rim protection, and interior scoring, Zubac gives the Pacers an element they have always lacked.

When it's all said and done, the Pacers have a better chance to win the title with Zubac than they would have if they had not made the trade. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about.

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