Clippers 2026 NBA trade deadline grade after 3 deals

Just when it looked as though the Los Angeles Clippers had righted the ship, they decided to pivot. Prior to the trade deadline, the Clippers, after months of rebuffing overtures for a few of their best players, hit a reset button of sorts, trading away to nailed-on starters, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, respectively.

Harden and Zubac’s chemistry and production during the 2024-25 season was the lifeblood of the Clippers’ 50-win campaign. And now, those two are set to duke it out in the Eastern Conference, with Harden looking to compete for a title as soon as this season with the rejuvenated Cavs.

Considering the Clippers’ present circumstances, a reset was coming either way. Harden and Kawhi Leonard were trending towards the older side, with the former being in his mid to late 30s. Their 6-21 start to the season suggested that there was little room for error for the Clippers, and that a hot run of play spanning a month isn’t enough to change their outlook for the next few seasons.

But did the Clippers do well in the trades that they made? Here are grades for each of LA’s trades before giving them an overall grade for how they did for the entire trade deadline.

Clippers exchange veteran floor general for oft-injured 26-year-old star

Clippers acquire: Darius Garland, 2026 second-round pick

Cavs acquire: James Harden

It was in the middle of the Clippers’ tussle against the Phoenix Suns this past week when the stunning news of the developing trade between LA and Cleveland came to light. The timing of everything seemed rather odd; why would Harden request a trade now that the Clippers have been playing better basketball?

Harden later denied requesting a trade, but there’s no doubt that he had a hand in him landing with the Cavs — a perfect situation for him. He doesn’t have to carry as heavy of a workload for the Cavs, which could conceivably leave him fresher for the playoffs.

As for the Clippers, the initial rumor was that the Cavs were asking for a future first-round pick to agree to the point guard swap. This was rather preposterous; Harden, despite being 36 years of age, is still averaging 25 and eight a night. He’s been more productive and healthier than Garland has been this season.

LA has well-documented future draft pick issues. They still owe their 2026 and 2028 picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. They owe pick swaps to the same teams in 2027 and 2029 (respectively as well). They can only trade their 2031 and 2032 firsts, and doing so would be malpractice for a team that doesn’t have the brightest of outlooks.

Not having to fork over a future first changes the equation so much for the Clippers. Not only did they get younger at the point, with Garland being only 26 years of age, they also received a future second-round pick. LA has hit on second-round picks in recent years, with the likes of Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller giving the team quality minutes in recent years. Perhaps they could pull something magical once more.

Now, the Clippers have to play the waiting game with Garland. He’s missed plenty of time this season with toe issues that date back to last season. With LA looking to make it to the playoffs, getting Garland back should help keep the team humming.

Moreover, Garland’s arrival means that the Clippers have one extra large contract on the books for the 2027-28 season. LA’s reported goal was to clear out cap space for the 2027 offseason, and Garland being on the books may complicate matters for them when the time comes.

But Garland helps keep the Clippers afloat. He is a two-time All-Star who will now have the keys to the offense, unlike in Cleveland when he had to share the ball with Donovan Mitchell a lot of times. He’s the undisputed floor general, and him being 26 years of age makes him well worth the benefit of the doubt, health-wise.

It’s always difficult to part ways with someone averaging 25 and eight. But acquiring Garland sets the Clippers up for a much better future than if Harden simply bolted in free agency, leaving LA with nothing.

Grade: A-

LA gets Ivica Zubac trade offer they cannot refuse

Clippers acquire: Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, 2026 IND first-round pick (protected for selections 1-4, 10-30, conveys to 2031 otherwise), unprotected 2029 IND first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick

Pacers acquire: Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown

From a stocks point of reference, the Clippers won big time. Imagine parlaying Michael Beasley and Mike Muscala into the package that Zubac brought back. Zubac has become one of the best and most reliable starting centers in the association, and the Pacers, a team looking to restore itself as a legitimate contender after a down 2025-26 season, are betting that he’s the missing piece they need to get over the hump.

The Clippers exacted quite a heavy price from the Pacers, and no one can ever fault LA for giving up Zubac, who is on one of the best contracts in the NBA, for the godfather offer Indiana put together.

For starters, getting a potential top-five pick in the upcoming draft is crazy value for the Clippers. As tantalizing as the top-four of the 2026 NBA Draft may be, there is bound to be a keeper somewhere in the top 10 not named Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson.

The Pacers think otherwise, but the Clippers took a wise gamble in hoping that Indy’s pick lands in the top five. This could even make them players on the trade market if they decide that going for a more established player is better over gambling on a prospect.

Even if the 2026 first-rounder doesn’t convey, the Clippers still win; who knows how the Pacers are and what their roster looks like in 2031? That is five years from now. Five years ago, the Pacers were dreadful — which put them in position to draft Mathurin in the first place.

Mathurin’s career has not taken off the way the Pacers had hoped. He was an X-factor during their playoff run last year, providing incredible scoring in spurts and he played with the edge that every winning team needs. However, he’s always going to be stuck on a bench role for the Pacers as long as Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are on the roster. And he will be up for a huge contract extension soon.

Considering how the Clippers need every young talent they can get, Mathurin could blossom in more of a featured role. He’ll be the third scoring option at worst in LA when everyone is healthy, and LA knows how to pair two high-scoring wings together if the combo of Leonard and Paul George is any indication.

Having to pay Mathurin is not the worst thing in the world; he can end up being a tradeable contract for when the Clippers decide to pivot.

Suffice to say, this was a trade that the Clippers had to make, sentimentality over Zubac be damned.

Grade: A+

Clips get off the Chris Paul train at last

Clippers acquire: Rights to Vanja Mariknovic

Raptors acquire: Chris Paul

Nets acquire: Ochai Agbaji, 2032 second-round pick

The Clippers jettisoning Paul was a long time coming. For them to get nothing is quite hilarious, however. It’s hard to rag LA for this pitiful return considering how unceremonious CP3’s time with the team ended, but this is still a sad way for one of the franchise’s greatest players to go.

Grade: C

Clippers’ overall trade deadline grade: A-

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