Doug McDermott and Cory Joseph both former teammates with the Indiana Pacers were both acquired in separate deals in the waning moments of the NBA Trade Deadline.
Sports Illustrated’s Tony East first reported that McDermott was headed back to Indiana. In exchange, the Pacers sent Marcus Morris and the 2029 Clippers 2nd-round pick—that were both acquired earlier in the day for Buddy Hield—to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Pacers acquired Cory Joseph in cost-saving move for the Golden State Warriors who sent the Pacers $5.8 million in cash and a top-55 protected 2025 2nd-round pick via the Hornets (this will not convey). The Pacers sent the Warriors the worst of their three seconds in the upcoming draft.
The Pacers essentially replaced Hield’s shooting with McDermott, who could serve adequately as a late rotation wing for 10-15 minutes per game. His defense is probably worse than Hield’s in my opinion but he’s shooting a blistering 43.9% from deep this season. McDermott certainly won’t have nearly as large of a role as Hield but he gives the Pacers more options especially if they don’t feel like Sheppard is quite ready for a regular rotation role yet.
Joseph was a veteran with the Kings during Haliburton’s rookie season and they remain close. Haliburton attended Joseph’s wedding this past summer. While the Pacers now need to waive either Korkmaz or Joseph to bring James Johnson back (if they desire to do so), so it’s possible that the Pacers did this deal solely to sell a 2nd-round pick that they weren’t likely to use. If Joseph sticks around, he’ll be in a role similar to George Hill last season as an emergency point guard and veteran in the locker room without any expectation to contribute on the court. Update: It has now been reported that Joseph will be waived according to ESPN.
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