Indiana did not acquire Ivica Zubac to duplicate Myles Turner. The Pacers brought him in to give Tyrese Haliburton a sturdier screening partner, more muscle on the glass and a center who can protect the paint while learning to survive the league’s quickest tempo.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Zubac NBA experience before Indiana | 9½ seasons |
| Zubac size | 7-foot, 240 pounds |
| Games played last season | 48 |
| Games played with Indiana last season | 5 |
| Draft capital included in trade | 2026 unprotected first-round lottery pick, plus other picks |
A different kind of center in Indiana
Zubac spent his first nine-plus NBA seasons in Los Angeles, dividing that run between the Lakers and Clippers. His reputation was built in the traditional center’s workspace: hard screens, interior defense, rebounding and physical play at the rim. He earned second-team All-Defensive recognition in 2024-25.
Indiana’s assignment is different. Haliburton moves the ball early, often before Zubac has crossed half court after a rebound or inbound. The Pacers’ system asks players to make their reads immediately rather than wait for a point guard to command a possession.
“When I get the rebound or take the ball out, he is already looking up the floor and firing it ahead,” Zubac said. “I’m accustomed to guards having it longer. He moves it fast, and that is how the whole team operates. The system is about quick choices and quick reads.”
Zubac returned to Europe after getting a small sample of Indiana’s style last season, focusing on conditioning before arriving back in the United States early to work with his new group. His preparation included his regular time in Nashville before transitioning into full-court work ahead of training camp.
The price of filling the middle
The Pacers’ need at center sharpened after Turner left for the Milwaukee Bucks in July 2025. Indiana already knew Haliburton would be out for the full season with a torn right Achilles, and the early injury wave turned the year into a lost one.
When Zubac became available at the trade deadline, Indiana sent the Clippers two players and multiple picks. The package included a 2026 first-rounder that became an unprotected lottery selection, an aggressive cost for a club that believes its competitive window is open now.
General manager Chad Buchanan said the front office saw no reason to wait on a longer-term solution when it had a chance to land a center it views among the league’s top 10 at the position.
“We felt we were on the edge of being a championship-level team,” Buchanan said. “Why be patient for something down the road when the opportunity is in front of you? Getting a top-10 center at a position of need was important, and he fits what this roster needs now.”
Haliburton sees a familiar partnership
Turner’s departure changed the geometry of the offense. Turner could run the floor and stretch defenses as a finesse big and perimeter shooter. Zubac offers a more forceful version of the position: a physical roller, lob target, rebounder and contact-first screen setter.
Haliburton said that may be a different look, but it is also close to the type of center he expected to play beside when he entered the NBA.
“Myles was a finesse player and a floor spacer,” Haliburton said. “Zu is very physical. He sets hard screens, rolls, plays above the rim on lobs and rebounds. It will look different, but that was the kind of big I thought I needed next to me when I came into the league.”
The Pacers expect Zubac’s screens to create cleaner windows for their shooters and drivers, while his rebounding and defense address areas that needed reinforcement. Injuries kept him from qualifying for an All-Defensive spot last season, but his brief Indiana stint gave him a clear offseason checklist.
How quickly he and Haliburton establish their timing remains one of camp’s central questions. Zubac is not expecting a long adjustment period.
“I don’t expect it to take long,” he said. “We did not have much court time before camp, but what we had felt natural. Smart point guards are easy to play with. We should not need much time to get connected.”
Coach Rick Carlisle now has a different kind of center to deploy. Buchanan said Carlisle and his staff have repeatedly shown they can reshape their approach around available personnel, and the expectation is that Zubac’s strengths will add to, rather than slow, the Pacers’ identity.
