Tyrese Haliburton Says Ivica Zubac, Kelly Oubre Jr. Have Fit ‘Seamlessly’ With Pacers

Neither Ivica Zubac nor Kelly Oubre Jr. has played a regular-season game with Tyrese Haliburton. That can change Wednesday, when the Indiana Pacers open at the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET.

Indiana acquired Zubac from the LA Clippers on Feb. 5 for a package of Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and three draft picks, two of them first-rounders. Zubac was the longest-tenured active player on the Clippers at the time, and he was averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds for them.

On July 1, the Pacers agreed to a two-year deal worth about $17 million with Oubre, who officially signed July 7 after spending the last three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Haliburton's expectations for this group run higher than any outside prediction, and Zubac and Oubre are both new to it.

"Our core is our core, right?" Haliburton said. "Same group. We've got the same coaching staff for a long time now. So I think our principles are our principles, and we're understanding of that, and that's been really good. I think it's hard when you have a lot of roster turnover, when you have a lot of coaching turnover. It's hard to sustain success, and fortunately for us we've got the same group together for the most part."

"Obviously we're missing two key pieces from our championship run, but we're filling those in, I think, pretty well," Haliburton continued. "I think Zu has been really good for us, and Kelly's been really good for us, so we're excited about having those guys and everybody that we've brought into our group. All those guys that fit really seamlessly for us. So it's going to be really exciting to chase this as a group."

"And I think those guys fit in," Haliburton added. "Obviously, you guys see how they fit in from a basketball perspective. They fit in in the locker room. They fit in on the card table. They fit in everywhere off the court as well. So it's been great to have these guys, and just looking forward to continue to build our relationships on and off the floor."

Zubac is 29 and signed through the 2027-28 season. He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024-25 with the Clippers and had played 684 NBA games entering this season.

After the trade, he appeared in only five games for Indiana. None of his 118 minutes with the Pacers came alongside Haliburton or Pascal Siakam.

The preseason was his first time on the floor with both of them. Zubac had 13 points and 13 rebounds at Oklahoma City on Oct. 13, and he posted 11 points and 11 rebounds against Milwaukee three nights later.

Haliburton has said Zubac is already changing how he plays pick-and-roll, and Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce described the center's fit with the core as seamless.

Oubre is 30. Washington drafted him 15th overall in 2015, and he has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, and 76ers.

Last season in Philadelphia, he averaged 14.1 points and 5.0 rebounds. Over 705 career games, Oubre has averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Aaron Nesmith sat out the preseason finale and is listed out for Wednesday with a left hamstring strain. Oubre scored 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting in the finale. Indiana's projected starting lineup has Nesmith on the wing alongside Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Siakam, and Zubac.

Siakam has seen Indiana's defense grow every year since he arrived.

"I think he's been a great fit," Siakam said. "I think the intangibles and the things that he does well fits with what we do. His length, athleticism, he can guard, he can knock down the shot, he can also handle, and so I think he has all those tools, and he's a great person. I think hanging out and being around him, he's been awesome."

"So I think just the way we play, it's like, again, equal opportunity," Siakam continued. "And I think he's gonna have a great time playing with us, especially with that [attention] that we're going to get with our first unit. So it's going to be good for them and I'm excited."

Larry Nance Jr. also joined the Pacers this offseason. Kobe Brown, the forward who came over with Zubac, is still on the roster.

Zubac and Oubre get their first home game with Haliburton on Friday. The home opener against the Dallas Mavericks tips at 7 p.m. ET.