The emotional farewells have been done. But perhaps the biggest whiplash for the Clippers fans in the trade season is that the Pacers don’t have any plans for Ivica Zubac immediately. While yes, he’s injured, there’s a much bigger picture to it. As he sat on the sidelines in Madison Square Garden while the Indiana Pacers took on old foes, the New York Knicks, one Knicks legend didn’t mince words about what the Pacers are doing.

While the Pacers were being shamed for a lack of effort, Pascal Siakam’s 30-point outing flipped the narrative. The shorthanded Pacers secured an overtime 134-137 victory which might cement why they don’t need Zu any time soon.

Before the game went into overtime, Mike Breen was discussing the trade with Walt “Clyde” Frazier. Given that Zubac is recovering from a lingering ankle injury, there’s no clear timeline on when he’d suit up for Indiana. Breen suggested that he won’t be playing this season at all.

“[Ivica] Zubac, they’re [Pacers] looking more towards next year when [Tyrese] Haliburton returns… [Zu] will immediately become their starting center. A different player than [Myles] Turner,” Breen said.

Ever the ‘cool’ guy, Clyde summarized Breen’s assessment in a blunt and hilarious manner. “It’s called tanking, folks.”

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Well, ’tis the season to be tanking. After the trade deadline, the title contention remains with a select few as other teams scramble to protect their draft capital. The Nets, Wizards, Hawks, and Jazz are indulging in self-sabotage. As the 2026 draft class is touted to be historic, these teams have moved away from a ‘win now’ strategy to a future rebuild.

However, the “tanking” narrative was dismantled by Siakam and a Pacers bench that refused to follow the script. Siakam led the charge supported by Andrew Nembhard’s 24 points and 10 assists. The game featured 39 lead changes, the most in any game this season, creating a playoff-like atmosphere that defied Frazier’s previous dismissal.

Indiana exploded with a 9–0 run in overtime. Despite a 40-point masterclass from Jalen Brunson and a triple-double from Josh Hart, the Knicks could not suppress an Indiana team that seemed fueled by the underdog label.

Frazier’s comment was a direct shot at an Indiana team that entered the night with the worst road record in the Eastern Conference and a crowded injury list. Yet they gave him exactly what he demands.

The Pacers meet Walt Frazier’s expectations

It’s not a ‘joke’ when it comes from Walt Frazier . The guy who led the Knicks to their only two championships has repeatedly called the modern NBA ‘easier’ than it was in the ’70s. He has a very poor opinion about load management and using analytics to hold players and teams back.

The Red Holzman-led Knicks including Frazier, Willis Reed and Earl Monroe were notoriously competitive. Using his rhymetastic vocabulary of ‘Clydisms,’ Frazier has advocated for teams to remain competitive during rebuilds too. So this is no passing observation. He demanded the Pacers to remain competitive and they were.

Frazier’s comments highlight a growing frustration with the blatant nature of late-season maneuvers by bottom-tier teams. The Pacers, who entered the night at a dismal 13–40, had ruled out the recently acquired Zubac due to an ankle injury.

While Tyrese Haliburton recovers from his ACL injury and several other key rotation players remain sidelined, Zubac’s absence stands out. He’s expected to bolster their frontcourt that’s been weakened since Myles Turner’s trade. But either the Pacers are scared of aggravating ankles or Frazier is right.

For Clyde, the decision to keep Zubac sidelined during a pivotal matchup at the Garden was less about a lingering injury and more about securing the best possible odds for the 2026 NBA Draft. It doesn’t help that some teams across the league are very deliberate about daft lottery positioning.

The Wizards ruled out Anthony Davis with hand and groin injuries and postpone Trae Young’s integration till the draft, which makes sense. But the Utah Jazz are benching or resting a healthy Lauri Markkanen when they’re on a scoring tear.

These teams could look at Indiana to show how it’s done. Pacers may be looking toward next year for their full health, but on this Tuesday night, they proved that “tanking” is a word better left for the front office than the active roster.