Clippers lock up starting center for long haul

As the Clippers prepare to move to their new home, Intuit Dome, they seem intent on achieving stability. After locking up Kawhi Leonard and head coach Tyronn Lue to contract extensions, the Clippers have now secured their starting center, Ivica Zubac, for the long haul.

Zubac and the Clippers agreed to a three-year, $58.6 million contract extension on Friday, tying him to the franchise through the 2027-28 season, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski .

The report added that Zubac, who averaged a career-high 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds last season, signed for "the maximum deal available to him" under the terms of the NBA's new CBA.

Besides logging career-highs in points and rebounds, Zubac shot a remarkable 65 percent from the floor in the regular season, which ranked third in the league behind Daniel Gafford and Rudy Gobert. The 7-footer from Croatia also held his own on defense, keeping opponents to 49.6 percent shooting at the rim, per Second Spectrum. That mark made him the most effective rim protector in the league among players who defended at least 200 shots in the restricted area.

Zubac was acquired by the Clippers in 2018 in a trade with their crosstown rivals, the Lakers. In his six seasons with the Clippers, the big man has been a model of consistency, averaging 10.0 points and 8.4 rebounds from 390 games.

For the first time since they acquired Leonard and Paul George in 2019, the Clippers enter the 2024-25 season with little to no expectations. The latter's departure to the Sixers in free agency has led to the Clippers' transformation from title contenders to a fringe playoff team projected to win 41.5 games.

Zubac and the Clippers are likely eager to prove those naysayers wrong. They begin their 2024-25 campaign against the Suns on Oct. 23.