The Clippers have signed Ivica Zubac to a new three-year contract extension worth $58.6 million. With the new Zubac contract, the Clippers are trying to keep what is left of their core together after the Paul George departure. Zubac has been a staple of the Clippers starting lineup since they traded for him from their LA neighbors, the Lakers, in 2019. He has started all 220 of his appearances over the last three seasons.
Los Angeles Clippers C Ivica Zubac has agreed on a three-year, $58.6 million contract extension, Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Zubac gets max available for his three seasons and now is guaranteed four years and $70M. pic.twitter.com/F7cSfEEqku
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 30, 2024
Ivica Zubac Contract Shows Clippers Commitment To Continuity
Coming Off Solid 2023-24 Season
Zubac is the longest-tenured Clipper on the roster, and with owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers opening up the brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood this season, they are looking to show some stability to their fans. After losing arguably their best player in George to the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, locking up a solid center like Zubac for the foreseeable future is as good of a consolation prize as they could get.
Zubac is only 27 years old and had one of the best seasons of his career last year, averaging 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds. He also shot an impressive 65% from the field as well. Although the Clippers failed to make it out of the first round in the 2024 playoffs, Zubac performed quite well. He significantly outperformed his seasonal scoring average by putting up 16.2 points per game in the Clippers six playoff games.
Ivica Zubac in the 2024 playoffs:
16.2 PTS
9.3 REB
0.8 STL
1.0 AST
0.5 BLK
62 TS% pic.twitter.com/Qjdfek30GO— ZubacSZN (@213clipset) July 1, 2024
Clippers’ Center Position Makes A Change From Last Season
The Clippers have been operating with a two-pronged center rotation of Zubac and Mason Plumlee the last couple seasons, and for the most part it has worked well. The Clippers shortcomings since adding Kawhi Leonard (and George) have been more related to those stars health than anything else. Plumlee left the team this offseason in free agency to join the Phoenix Suns. With the Zubac extension, it looks like the Clippers are ready to put a few more eggs in the Croatian’s basket.
A player with a decent chance to take the backup minutes at center since the Plumlee departure is Mo Bamba. He will be entering his seventh season in the league. Bamba joins the team as a free agent from the Philadelphia 76ers after averaging 13 minutes a game in 57 games last season. He is still looking to live up to his draft billing as he was selected sixth overall in 2018.
Without George, Will Be Difficult For Clippers To Make Noise
The sad reality for the Clippers is that although it feels good to get Zubac back on a solid deal and locked up for the next few seasons, the launch of their new stadium won’t be as exciting without George on the roster. James Harden is still a solid player and Leonard has proven that (when healthy) he is one of the best players in the league. Unfortunately, unless Leonard finds some strength and health from his 2019 self, the Clippers are unlikely to make any noise in the crowded Western Conference. There are too many teams, at least on paper, that have a better roster.
