Free agency hasn’t officially started, but the LA Clippers can already be considered one of the biggest winners of the NBA offseason. They got things started by agreeing to an extension with Robert Covington, keeping him in the fold before he even hit free agency.
Veteran Nicolas Batum is heading toward free agency as well, but all signs point to him returning to the team. The Clippers own his early Bird rights and can offer him a contract worth $10.9 million for at least two years. A two-year deal is what the sides are reportedly working toward.
With a void at the point guard position, it is being reported that it will be filled by John Wall. Wall secured a buyout from the Houston Rockets and is expected to sign with the Clippers for the full mid-level exception. That will help offset what he gave back to the Rockets in the buyout.
Now, it is being reported that the LA Clippers are keeping yet another key player in their rotation in the fold. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Clippers and Ivica Zubac have agreed to an extension.
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It is a three-year deal worth $33 million, which became possible after Los Angeles declined the $7.5 million option they had on him for the 2022-23 season. Now he will be signed through 2025 at the very least.
This is an important signing for the LA Clippers as their other center, Isaiah Hartenstein, may have priced himself out of town. Hartenstein can likely land a deal larger than the one that Los Angeles can afford to pay him.
If he does indeed walk, they at least know they can turn to Ivica Zubac in the middle and have Covington in place as well who has experience there. A veteran signing for the minimum will likely be in the cards as well.
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The extension is well deserved for Zubac, who is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 10.3 points with 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists and one block in 24.4 minutes per game, all of which were career highs.
Still only 25 years old, Ivica Zubac has plenty of excellent basketball ahead of him and is a key component of the team’s success.
