The Los Angeles Clippers and heart Ivica Zubac have agreed to a three-year, $58.6 million contract extension, tying him to the franchise for $70 million by the 2027-2028 season, his brokers Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of Excel knowledgeable ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.
Zubac, 27, will signal the utmost deal accessible to him for 3 seasons below the phrases of the NBA’s collective bargaining settlement, per Wojnarowski. The 7-footer averaged profession highs of 11.7 factors and 1.2 blocks per recreation in 68 appearances (all begins) final season.
Moreover, Zubac averaged 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 26.4 minutes per recreation whereas taking pictures 64.9% from the sphere and 72.3% on the free throw line. He ended the 2023-24 season with a participant effectivity ranking of 19.3 as properly.
Right here is the breakdown of the extension:
2025/26- $18.1M
2026/27- $19.5M
2027/28- $21.0M
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 30, 2024
His 64.9% taking pictures proportion within the common season was third greatest within the league, simply behind Daniel Gafford and Rudy Gobert, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Data.
Moreover, Zubac additionally held offensive opponents to 49.6% taking pictures on the rim final season, greatest within the league amongst gamers to defend 200-plus photographs, per Second Spectrum.
In his eighth season, Zubac completed nineteenth in complete rebounds (626), eleventh in offensive boards (196), nineteenth in blocks (83), sixth in true taking pictures proportion (67.1%), and third in offensive ranking (132.4).
In Los Angeles’ 113-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 27, 2023, he recorded a season-high 23 factors on 9-of-15 (60%) taking pictures from the ground and 5-of-8 (62.5%) on the foul line.
Los Angeles Clippers heart Ivica Zubac will enter his ninth NBA season in 2024-25 and seventh marketing campaign with crew
Throughout the Clippers’ Western Convention first-round playoff sequence loss to the Dallas Mavericks, he averaged 16.2 factors, 9.3 rebounds, 1.0 help, and 32 minutes per contest in six video games.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank praised Zubac throughout his end-of-season press convention. The truth is, he talked about a number of different spectacular statistics from the Croatian massive man.
“We love Zu and [would] like to preserve Zu right here,” Frank stated. “I believe James [Harden] had quite a bit to do with unlocking it,” he stated of Zubac’s profession season. “Zu I believe led the league in taking pictures proportion between six and eight ft.
“You recognize, [he] developed a floater with both hand. I believe he was second in factors produced out of post-ups behind [Kristaps] Porzingis [of the Boston Celtics].”
Furthermore, he’ll be beginning his ninth NBA season in 2024-25 and seventh marketing campaign with the Clippers, the place he arrived in a commerce from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
The Clippers misplaced All-NBA ahead Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free company.
Nonetheless, Los Angeles re-signed free agent guard James Harden to a brand new deal, and the franchise retained free brokers Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones.
Zubac helps make the Clippers playoff contenders because the membership’s beginning heart.