After five seasons of championship expectations and repeated early playoff exits, the Los Angeles Clippers are finally in decline.
They lost perennial All-Star forward Paul George in free agency this summer, and while they still have two bona fide stars in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, people have stopped believing they have the ability to win it all.
But they still have a roster that should, at the very least, challenge for a playoff spot one way or another.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday that the Clippers had given center Ivica Zubac a three-year, $58.6 million extension.
Los Angeles Clippers C Ivica Zubac has agreed on a three-year, $58.6 million contract extension, Mike Lindeman and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Zubac gets max available for his three seasons and now is guaranteed four years and $70M. pic.twitter.com/F7cSfEEqku
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 30, 2024
Zubac may not be a star, but he has been a key piece of the Clippers’ roster ever since they acquired him in a trade midway through the 2018-19 season.
He is a classic wide-bodied big man who can score inside on occasion, but his real value comes defensively and on the boards.
He averaged 11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots a game this past season, which was his eighth in the league.
He may have to step up his offensive game to help ensure the Clippers will remain a playoff squad.
With George gone, and with Leonard and Harden getting older, not to mention Leonard’s perpetual injury concerns, they don’t exactly have the type of deep and talented roster they boasted a few years ago.
They will be playing in a new arena, the Intuit Dome, this coming season, and they will need to find ways to excite fans enough to consistently put people in the seats.
