Ivica Zubac (#40) of the Los Angeles CLippers dunks in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, May 1, 2024. /CFP
The Los Angeles Clippers have reached a three-year, $56.8 million contract extension with their starting center Ivica Zubac, according to ESPN on Friday. The 27-year-old Croatian giant will make $70 million with the team through the 2027-28 season.
The deal is the best the team can offer Zubac for three seasons under the current collective bargaining agreement. He averaged 11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game and shot 64.9 percent from the field for the Clippers after starting in all of his 68 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
Zubac had the third-highest field goal (FG) rate in the league last season, behind only Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He also did the best job of limiting the opponents' shooting rate at the rim to 49.6 percent, the best among all players who defended over 200 shots, per Second Spectrum.
The Clippers finished the 2023-24 regular season with 51 wins and came in fourth in the Western Conference. They were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the first-round of the playoffs. Zubac averaged 16.2 points and 9.3 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass in that series.
T.J. McConnell (#9) of the Indiana Pacers dribbles in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 27, 2024. /CFP
The Indiana Pacers reached a four-year, $45 million extension with their backup point guard T.J. McConnell, ESPN reported on Friday. The new deal will enable the team to keep him for another five seasons.
McConnell started in only four of his 71 regular season games during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 10.2 points and 5.5 assists with 1.5 turnovers per game. The Pacers finished in the sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 47 wins, securing automatic qualification for the playoffs.
The Pacers knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. They were swept by the Boston Celtics in that series in which McConnell averaged 15 points and 4.3 assists per game.