Kawhi Leonard Calls Ivica Zubac Trade Like 'Losing a Brother'

The Los Angeles Clippers have gone through a lot of change in the last week.

After trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the front office followed up by sending center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers just before the trade deadline. For Kawhi Leonard, the moves hit close to home.

Following the Clippers' 114-111 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, Leonard did not hold back when talking about what it felt like to see Zubac go after spending nearly seven seasons together.

"It's like losing a brother… Somebody that will be missed. Played a lot of games with him. A lot of battles. He's a face we're gonna miss in the locker," Leonard said.

Leonard and Zubac both arrived in Los Angeles in 2019, and the two grew together as Clippers teammates.

Leonard watched Zubac go from a young player into one of the team's most important pieces, and the bond between them was real.

Leonard said he remembers Zubac being about 21 years old when he got there, and watched him keep working until he became the guy who stayed in for the fourth quarter.

Before the trade, Zubac was putting up 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game on 61.3 percent shooting in 43 games this season.

He was coming off a career year in 2024-25, when he earned All-Defensive Second Team honors and averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds.

In return for Zubac and Kobe Brown, the Clippers received Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick.

The deal gives Los Angeles younger pieces and future draft capital as the franchise looks ahead.

Even with all the emotions running high, Leonard showed up and led the Clippers to a win in their first game without both Harden and Zubac, finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the three-point victory over Sacramento.

The loss extended the Kings' losing streak to 11 games in a row.

Leonard is now averaging 27.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season in 38 games, and he has scored 20 or more points in 30 straight games.

He was recently added to the 2026 All-Star Game roster after initially being left off the list despite putting up some of the best numbers of his career.

With the win, the Clippers improved to 23-27 on the season and sit ninth in the Western Conference, while the Kings dropped to 12-40.

The Clippers now head into All-Star Weekend as the host team at Intuit Dome, but their roster looks a lot different than it did just a week ago.

Leonard is the last remaining piece of what was supposed to be the team's Big Three, and while the front office has its eyes on the future, Leonard's play shows he is not ready to slow down.