Zubac recommends Lakers fans watch Clippers for 'good basketball'

With the 35-42 Los Angeles Lakers heading toward an early summer, Clippers center Ivica Zubac - who the Lakers dealt to the neighboring franchise in February - is encouraging local fans to jump on the bandwagon of his new squad.

"A bunch of fans have come up to me and they say, 'Why did we trade you? The Lakers front office did the biggest mistake,'" Zubac said Tuesday, according to The Orange County Register's Mirjam Swanson. "Everyone's like, 'We miss you.' And I always say, 'I'm on a better team now. You don't have to be sad for me.' And I always make sure to tell them, 'Check our game out if you want to see good basketball.'

"I always make sure to tell them, 'If you want to watch playoff basketball, we're at Staples.' So it's up to them, but I'm always gonna keep trying. People got this bad image about Clippers, like Clippers did something bad. But the thing is, the Clippers never did something bad, they're just another team in L.A."

The Clippers acquired the 22-year-old big man and Michael Beasley from the Lakers in exchange for Mike Muscala on Feb. 7. It was a peculiar move on the part of the Lakers, as the Clippers reportedly never reached out to inquire about Zubac's availability.

Clippers consultant Jerry West reportedly had a laugh at the Lakers' expense during a dinner with some friends shortly after the transaction was made.

Zubac was averaging 14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and nearly a block per game in his final nine appearances as a Laker prior to being moved. He's contributing nine points and 7.5 boards on 53.2 percent shooting in 22 games for a Clippers team that went 13-2 in March.

"In my two-and-a-half years with the Lakers, I didn't win much games," Zubac added. "So winning all these games, it feels great. It got me looking differently at basketball. I don't care about personal stats or whatever. Winning is the most important thing.

"(It) seems like Lakers fans miss me and they regret the trade. And Clippers fans are just happy to have me."

Zubac took to Twitter on Tuesday evening to clarify that his comments weren't meant to disrespect his former team.