Tony East: The Ivica Zubac trade is the biggest move you guys made. What made it something that you wanted to do at this time? Pacers GM Chad Buchanan: I think at the start of the season, you’re hopeful that one of the guys that was kind of filling the [starting center] role is going to help us. We’ve had a couple guys that we tried there and they’ve all had good moments at times, but we felt like getting an established veteran starting center was important for this group. We’ve seen what they could do the last couple of years, that starting five, that core. Having to replace the starting center spot was something that was always going to be a priority for us, whether it was with one of the guys we tried this year or a trade or free agent, whatever it was going to be. The opportunity was there, and we’ve always liked [Zubac] and respected him as a player. The more you kind of look and see what’s available, he became the number one clear target pretty fast.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The opportunity was there, and we’ve always liked …