Zubac out for season
Ivica Zubac — Indiana’s big deadline addition — will miss the rest of the season with a rib fracture after just five games with the Pacers. (si.com). The loss wipes out a major interior upgrade the Pacers banked on at the deadline and complicates their late‑season push. (si.com)
The Pacers acquired Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown from the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 5, 2026 in a deal that sent guard Bennedict Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson, a protected 2026 first-round pick, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to Los Angeles. (nba.com: ) Zubac is under contract through the 2027-28 season, giving Indiana control of a veteran seven‑footer beyond this year. (espn.com: ) In limited action for Indiana he averaged 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and roughly 23.6 minutes per game, numbers the front office expected to build on in 2026-27. (indystar.com: ) An MRI confirmed a fractured rib sustained during the game against Portland, and team medical staff say he is expected to make a full recovery while missing the remainder of the current timetable. (wthr.com: ) Indiana holds the NBA’s worst record at 15–50 and was the first team mathematically eliminated from playoff contention earlier this month, with 12 regular‑season games left on the schedule. (statmuse.com: ) (si.com: ) With Zubac unavailable, Jay Huff is the projected interior starter and the club will redistribute Zubac’s planned minutes; Zubac had been on a minutes restriction while managing an ankle issue that delayed his Indiana debut. (nbcsports.com: ) (espn.com: ) The front-office calculus that prompted the deadline trade — adding a dependable pick‑and‑roll center to pair with Tyrese Haliburton when healthy — remains intact for 2026-27 even as Haliburton rehabs a torn right Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals. (nbc sports / reporting on roster context: ) (espn.com on Haliburton: )
