Golden State Turned a Departing Reserve Into Draft Currency
Golden State sent Cory Joseph, cash and a top-55-protected 2025 Charlotte second-round pick to Indiana for a 2024 second-round pick. NBA.com reported that Indiana waived Joseph immediately after the trade, while Basketball-Reference records that the protected 2025 Charlotte pick did not convey. The Warriors therefore moved a reserve guard they were prepared to part with, plus cash and a pick that ultimately disappeared, and secured a live 2024 draft asset in return.
The Incoming Pick Reached No. 52 and Fed a Complicated Draft-Night Route
The acquired second became the No. 52 selection in the 2024 draft. NBA.com's draft results list Quinten Post at No. 52 and show the rights moving from Golden State to Oklahoma City, then Portland, then back to Golden State. The offseason trade tracker adds the surrounding context: the Warriors also acquired Lindy Waters III in that June routing. Post should not be treated as a simple one-step February return, but the pick Golden State acquired from Indiana was real draft-night currency at the center of the later sequence.
Post Eventually Produced Two Warriors Seasons
The downstream player value became tangible. NBA.com reported in July 2026 that Post's two-season Warriors run ended only after Golden State declined to match Memphis' three-year, $30 million offer sheet. In his final Warriors season, he averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds across 67 games. That production cannot all be credited mechanically to the February trade because additional draft-night moves were involved, but it reinforces that Golden State's acquired No. 52 asset had meaningful realized value.
Indiana's Return Produced Little Basketball Value
Indiana's side is easier to resolve. Joseph never played a game for the Pacers after the transaction because the team waived him the same day. The protected Charlotte second did not convey, leaving cash considerations as the durable piece of the return. Golden State also created a trade exception according to Basketball-Reference. The Warriors' side therefore produced the stronger combination of asset value, roster flexibility and downstream use, while Indiana's return generated little on-court or draft value.
Final Verdict
Warriors Win — Golden State A-, Indiana C. Golden State moved Cory Joseph, cash and a protected second that never conveyed for the 2024 second-round pick that became No. 52. The later draft-night routing was more complicated than a direct pick-to-player conversion, but that asset helped Golden State finish the sequence with Quinten Post and Lindy Waters III. Indiana waived Joseph immediately and received no drafted player from the protected 2025 pick.