The San Antonio Spurs have traded veteran forward Doug McDermott to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a future second-round pick, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. San Antonio will also receive Marcus Morris in the trade, who the Pacers received in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the deal.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the Spurs plan to buy out Morris, and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports revealed that the pick heading to San Antonio will be a 2029 second-rounder (via the LA Clippers). McDermott had been playing fairly well for the Spurs, but the 32-year-old is in the final year of his contract.
So far this season, McDermott has been averaging 6.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 44.2% from the field and 43.9% from behind the three-point line.
The Pacers will send the Spurs a future second-round pick, per source. https://t.co/L2USJDfxTc
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2024
Adding a second-rounder in exchange for McDermott adds a pick to their cabinet, albeit a very far-in-the-future one, to help add assets down the line.
Buying out Morris also makes sense for the Spurs, who should be focusing on a youth movement around Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio will now have an open roster spot with which they could look to bring in a project player.
One guy who immediately jumps to mind is Killian Hayes, who the Detroit Pistons waived on deadline day. He, like Wembanyama, is from France, and while his tenure in Detroit was a bust, taking a chance on a second-home player is exactly what the Spurs should be doing for the rest of the season.
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