Former Kentucky big Isaiah Jackson dealt in deadline day trade, per report
Published:
Former Kentucky big man Isaiah Jackson is part of a massive deal on NBA trade deadline day between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers.
According to a report on Thursday afternoon by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jackson is heading from the Pacers to the Clippers along with Bennedict Mathurin, 2 first-round picks and 1 second-round pick. Los Angeles is reportedly sending back center Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to the Pacers in the trade that went down in the final moments before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Jackson, who played at Kentucky during the 2020-21 season, has made 14 starts in 38 games played this season for Indiana, so he’s actually cracked the starting lineup at various times. He is averaging 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season for the Pacers, shooting an impressive 58.2% from the field.
But Jackson ultimately didn’t show enough consistency with Indiana, and he’s reportedly being shipped out to Los Angeles to continue his NBA career.
Ironically, Jackson was selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft by the other team from Los Angeles. But Jackson never played for the Lakers, who traded him to the Pacers, the franchise he stayed with all these years until Thursday when he reportedly changed NBA addresses again.
Jackson earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team and SEC All-Defensive Team in his one and only season at Kentucky.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
