8:37pm: The Clippers have officially announced their extension with Zubac, issuing a press release to confirm the move.
“For four seasons, Zu has been a pillar of our team, durable and dependable,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He does whatever is needed: setting screens, rolling to the rim, anchoring the interior of the defense. He is a reliable teammate and a consistent pro, just entering the prime of his career. We are excited to continue growing with him.”
4:12pm: The Clippers and Ivica Zubac have agreed to a contract extension that will cover the next three years and will be worth $33MM, agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Clippers held a team option on Zubac for the 2022/23 season worth $7,518,518, but will decline that option as part of the extension agreement, Wojnarowski reports.
The new deal, which will run through the 2024/25 season, won’t include any options, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Zubac, 25, was the Clippers’ starting center in 2021/22, appearing in a career-high 76 games and starting all of them. He also established new career highs in PPG (10.3), RPG (8.5), APG (1.6), and BPG (1.0) in 24.4 minutes per contest.
Zubac will be the second Clippers player to receive an extension between the end of the regular season and the start of the NBA’s 2022/23 league year, joining Robert Covington.
Los Angeles now has more than $171MM in guaranteed money on its books for next season without accounting for their reported agreement with John Wall – rumored to be worth the taxpayer mid-level exception – or possible new deals for free agents like Nicolas Batum, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Amir Coffey. The team’s tax bill projects to be worth at least $80MM, assuming a taxpayer MLE contract for Wall, tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype, and that number could continue to grow.
Zubac won’t be eligible to be traded for six months once he officially signs the extension, since it exceeds the extend-and-trade limits.
*Zubac won’t be eligible
Balmer getting even more serious about winning a chip. Money’s flying all over the place. And the LAC were already in the penalty before this extension.
Yeah and that trading of Kennard seems to be more smoke than anything. If they resign all these guys they are going to have an amazing 1-15. That kid Jason Preston is going to be good also.
All the Clippers have to do is dump Reggie Jackson somewhere and they are set.
Why dump a decent vet? Do you know Preston is ready? That’s it at PG, them and Wall.
Reggie will be better as shooting guard
The Clippers will pass the Warriors within a season or two and will have the highest payroll + tax in the league. Ballmer will get his chip if it costs half a billion a season to do it.