Ivica Zubac's move from the L.A. Clippers to the Indiana Pacers was the biggest surprise from the last day before the trade deadline, and it could be the Golden State Warriors who benefit most from the veteran big man heading out East.
In the wake of Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury, the Clippers appeared like a team who could surge past the Warriors for a top eight seed in the Western Conference. After a disastrous start to the season, the Clippers were surging in a period where they won 16 of 19 games, only to seemingly halt their pursuits by trading James Harden and Zubac before the deadline.
Warriors could be biggest winners of Ivica Zubac trade
Golden State are battling to keep their head above water right now, having lost Butler for the season while also being without superstar guard Stephen Curry over the last three games due to his own knee injury.
The hopes of a blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade failed to come to fruition before the deadline, and even the acquisition they did make, Kristaps Porzingis, won't be seen until after the All-Star break thanks to his own injury and health concerns.
But while the Warriors are certainly vulnerable right now, teams below them certainly aren't lining up to rise past them. That starts with the Clippers and the surprise departures of Harden and Zubac, but also extends to the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies who were both sellers as well in moving on from Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr. earlier this week.
Golden State could be a winner from the Zubac trade in more ways than one though, with speculation on Kawhi Leonard's future quickly rising in the hour before the deadline. While the 2x MVP wasn't ultimately moved, his tenure with the Clippers will surely be in question again during the summer.
That could potentially give the Warriors another star trade target to monitor, rather than simply pinning their hopes on a massive deal for Antetokounmpo. Leonard would come with far more risk but would subsequently cost far less in a trade, though it will also be determined by any penalties from the ongoing Aspiration investigation.
Having moved Harden for a 10-year younger, albeit injury-prone Darius Garland, and with two future first-round picks acquired in exchange for Zubac, the Clippers are clearly going in a different direction and that only means good things for the Warriors who will see their pacific rival twice after the All-Star break.