INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Indiana Pacers traded Benedict Mathurin to the LA Clippers at the NBA trade deadline in a package including Isaiah Jackson and some first round picks. In return, the Pacers got Ivica Zubac, a player they had been courting since the surprise departure of Myles Turner in free agency.
It was a high price to pay – other than draft compensation – for a Pacers team that drafted Mathurin sixth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and saw his scoring ability on display on the night. As an athletic, three-level scorer, Mathurin should be able to fit seamlessly into a Clippers team that desperately needs his scoring punch.
"It's been pretty good so far," Benedict Mathurin said after his second practice with the LA Clippers on Wednesday afternoon. "You know, I think we have great guys on our team. Everyone is pretty familiar with my game. So that helps a lot. I think there's still a lot to do and a lot to learn with the system offensively, defensively and especially off the court."
Benedict Mathurin on practicing and fitting in with his new Clippers teammates:
"It's been great so far. I think we have great people on our team. Everyone is pretty familiar with my game. So that helps a lot. I think there's still a lot left to do and there's still… pic.twitter.com/tFGIPdwUno
-Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 19 February 2026
As great as Mathurin has been in his young career, he struggled to get consistent playing time at Indiana. Whether it was due to Rick Carlisle's system or simply the need for more catch-and-shoot abilities around Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, Mathurin saw his minutes fluctuate in his last season with the Pacers.
Mathurin played less than 15 minutes in nine of the Pacers' 23 playoff games last season and logged 30 minutes in a game only once during the entire season. Now that he has transferred to a new team with a greater need for his scoring abilities, playing time is not something he thinks will be an issue.
"I think it's just about me being myself," Ben Mathurin said. "I feel like Ty Lue is going to give me an opportunity to really go out there and play my game without any restrictions. So, I think this will be the biggest, biggest jump for me, especially playing with great players like Kawhi and [Darius Garland] And the rest of the team, which will allow me to go even shorter."
Coming out of college, Benedict Mathurin was known as a fast-paced, athletic scorer and, at 6 feet 5 inches tall, he had the potential to be a good defender. That end of the floor is something Mathurin is looking to prove he can do at a high level.
"I would just say my aggression. I feel like [there are some] Wrong stories about me, that I can't play defense. But people, people who need to know that I play defense, know that I play defense. So, just going out there and doing my thing on that end of the floor and just being there for my teammates.
The past two weeks for Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson included being traded from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, flying to L.A. to get physicals, meeting with the team in Minneapolis, but not debuting until the team got to Houston for back-to-back sets. Mathurin and Jackson then got an All-Star break to collect themselves before heading back to Los Angeles for practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before back-to-back sets on Thursday and Friday.
What Benedict Mathurin wants to prove with the Clippers:
"I think just doing it on a nightly basis, just coming to work every day. I think the ability to be here consistently is definitely more realistic, in terms of the role, coming into a new setting. And... pic.twitter.com/pvfsplSoe9
-Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 19 February 2026
"It's been a lot, man. Like you said, the last two weeks have been business. It's been an All-Star break, and then coming back here. So, very, very grateful to really get going for the second half of the season.
"There's no challenge [with the trade]Man. Like I said, I'm very grateful to come to the NBA and play, so now it's just about what I can do to go out there and just be the player I want to be and the team the team needs me to win, so it's just about living and learning.
In 239 career regular season games, Benedict Mathurin has averaged 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field. Mathurin was having a career season with the Indiana Pacers before the trade, averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (5.4), and assists (2.3).
The LA Clippers will begin their post-NBA All-Star break schedule with back-to-back sets against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. Benedict Mathurin's new team won't leave the state of California for two weeks, with five home games and the only road game at the Lakers and Warriors.
