It doesn't happen often in the NBA, especially moves of this caliber, but the Ivica Zubac-for-Bennedict Mathurin swap from this year's trade deadline could be a win-win for everybody involved.
In most cases, when a trade goes down in the NBA, there's usually a clear winner. It might be obvious right away (like how everyone knew the Los Angeles Lakers made out like bandits when they acquired Luka Doncic last year), or it might take some time to figure it out (which could be said about the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings' Tyrese Haliburton-for-Domantas Sabonis swap).
But sometimes, trades work out beautifully for every team and player involved. And it's way, way, way too early to add this trade to that category, but there are reasons to believe it will reach that point soon.
Pacers and Clippers may both be happy with the Zubac-Mathurin trade
Let's start with Indiana's side of it. They traded Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and multiple picks (including this year's heavily-protected first-rounder) for Zubac and Kobe Brown.
The Pacers got the best player in this trade in Zubac. He was the best center realistically on the market. They got him, and he should be an incredible addition to their team.
Zubac is an elite interior defender. He anchored the Los Angeles Clippers' No. 3-ranked defense last season, and he earned All-Defensive Second Team honors as a reward. Plus, he is a fantastic rebounder, averaging 12.1 boards per game in each of the last two seasons, and he will be a great pick-and-roll partner for Tyrese Haliburton.
Additionally, Brown had a solid Pacers debut and is already looking like he could be a sneaky good acquisition for them. He was more or less a throw-in in the trade and was mostly out of the Clippers' rotation, so he now gets an opportunity to showcase his talents. And if there's any team that can develop him properly, it's the Pacers.
As for the Clippers, while they gave up Zubac, they got some very valuable assets in return. Perhaps most notably, they traded for Mathurin, who will have a chance to flourish in their system, especially since they no longer have James Harden on the roster to be their go-to iso scorer.
They also traded for Jackson, who had long been a solid backup in Indiana, but his time with the team had run its course. He couldn't take advantage of being named the team's starting center on opening night, and he lost his spot to Jay Huff.
However, there is still no denying his talents. He is incredibly athletic and is a solid paint presence on both sides of the ball. It hasn't been great for Jackson in Los Angeles so far, but he gives them some much-needed youth at the center position, and it should only be a matter of time before he carves out a role for himself.
And as things stand today, they have a real chance of getting a high pick in what should be a loaded draft this year. If Indiana's pick falls between 5-9, it goes to the Clippers. And while the top guys in the draft (Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson) will all be gone, there are still some solid players they could get, such as Houston's Kingstom Flemings.
This was a very risky trade for both teams to make, but especially so for Indiana. Both teams gave up a lot, but they got a lot in return. And if all works out well, both teams can look back on this trade feeling nothing but joy many years down the line.