Stephen Curry’s painful reaction to Warriors’ Cory Joseph trade

Cory Joseph’s time with Warriors

The Warriors traded Joseph along with $5.8 million to the Pacers in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick just before the deadline. The deal saved Joe Lacob millions in luxury tax savings while giving Golden State at least one pick—even if it’s a second-rounder—in this year’s NBA Draft. Joseph’s exit also opened up another roster spot, one potentially filled by current two-way player Lester Quinones, who surpassed the 32-year-old in Steve Kerr’s rotation over the last few games.

Golden State signed Joseph to a one-year minimum deal in free agency. Brought in to serve as the Warriors’ third point guard behind Curry and Chris Paul, Joseph played a semi-frequent role over the first two months of the season as multiple perimeter contributors were lost to injury. He got his most consistent run in January, after Paul went down with a broken hand in a narrow home victory over the lowly Detroit Pistons.

Joseph averaged 2.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.4 minutes off the bench across 10 consecutive appearances, shooting 11-of-25 overall (44%) and 7-of-17 from three-point range (41.1%). He wasn’t the impact defender he was in his prime, though, occasionally exploited by the opposition’s perimeter stars. Just as problematic, teams unthreatened by his three-point proficiency laid off Joseph away from the ball offensively, cramping Golden State’s spacing.

Curry’s glowing appraisal of Joseph still shone through on the court and on the bench, however. He fought tooth and nail every time he took the floor for the Warriors, most recently and memorably early in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on January 25th, helping his team get a win with the effort, passion and tenacity it was initially tough to muster so soon after beloved assistant Dejan Milovic’s passing.

Indiana waived Joseph immediately after acquiring him, opening a roster spot to re-sign veteran forward James Johnson. It’s unclear where he’ll go from here for the remainder of 2023-24; there’s also a possibility the 13th-year veteran is relegated to trying his hand in free agency come July. What’s absolutely certain, though, is that Joseph will be missed by his former teammates and coaches with the Warriors.