Westbrook trade and 9 other regrettable Lakers moves Pelinka botched
By Tyler Watts
3. Ivica Zubac trade
Zubac was a second-round steal in the 2016 NBA Draft that showed plenty of promise during his two-and-half seasons with the Lakers. The seven-footer is a traditional center, but there were flashes of rim-protecting and rebounding chops.
In 2019, the Lakers traded Zubac and Michael Beasley to the LA Clippers for Mike Muscala. Zubac immediately became the starting center across town, and he continued to blossom with increased playing time. He is still a strong rebounder and rim protector for the Clippers as the Lakers have searched for a starting center option in recent years.
To make matters much worse, Muscala barely played for the Lakers. The 6’10 big man averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game over just 17 contests. He left the Lakers in free agency the following summer to head to Oklahoma City. There was no point in trading a promising young big man for a veteran as the Lakers were not in contention.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not want to pay Ivica Zubac, but he got a three-year $21 million extension from the Clippers after the trade. That is a bargain a starting center that can control the paint and matchup against the biggest players in the league. Letting him go was a massive mistake.