Just one week before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, former Indiana Pacers forward Doug McDermott has found another home.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, McDermott has signed a one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings. With this move, the 32-year-old is reunited with another former Pacer, Domantas Sabonis.
McDermott initially played for the Pacers from 2018 to 2021. During this time, he was a key role player for the Pacers, averaging 10.3 points on 50.7% shooting from the field and 41.1% from the three-point line mostly off the bench.
Last season, the Pacers re-acquired McDermott, who played for the San Antonio Spurs for parts of the last three seasons, as part of the three-team trade that sent Buddy Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers.
McDermott's second stint in Indiana was far less eventful than his first, appearing in just 18 games for the team and averaging 4.2 points in 11.3 minutes.
Doug McDermott signs with the Sacramento Kings
It is a bit shocking that McDermott remained unsigned for as long as he did. 11 seasons into his NBA career, the former lottery draft pick remains one of the best perimeter shooters in the league. He is a career 41% shooter from beyond the arc and can still provide value on the court. This is especially true for a team like the Kings.
The Kings narrowly missed the playoffs this year after finishing as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last year. This offseason, they added DeMar DeRozan to pair alongside Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox to help get them back into the playoff picture. While McDermott will not play a major role like these three players, he can still help them a lot in their fight for contention.
McDermott and the Kings are only scheduled to face the Pacers twice this season. The first game is on December 22 in Sacramento, and the second matchup is on March 31, towards the end of the regular season, in Indiana.
The Kings and Pacers matchups were already going to be interesting. In addition to both teams likely being playoff teams next year, McDermott is now another player who will face his former team when the Kings and Pacers face off.
From Sacramento's side, McDermott and Sabonis are the most notable former Pacers, but Terry Taylor, who played in Indiana from 2021 to 2023, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Kings in September. On the flip side, the Pacers have Tyree Haliburton and James Johnson, both former Kings players.
The Kings got a good one in McDermott, and it will be worth following his time in Sacramento to see what he can do to help the team make it back to the playoffs.