Report: Kings Agree to Deal with Ex-Pacer Cory Joseph on 3-Year, $37M Contract

The Sacramento Kings and guard Cory Joseph reportedly agreed to a three-year, $37 million contract Monday, where he'll back up De'Aaron Fox.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the move, and Sam Amick of The Athletic noted the third year has a partial guarantee. The Kings have also rescinded their qualifying offer to center Willie Cauley-Stein, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Joseph, 27, spent the last two seasons with the Pacers. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds on 41.2 percent shooting this past season in 73 games off the bench (82 total).

A 2011 first-round pick, Joseph has carved out a solid career as a role player who can stretch the floor, create for others and play defense. His play has never warranted any full-time starter consideration, but the Spurs, Raptors and Pacers regularly benefited from his overall solid play.

The Pacers were a better team on both ends of the floor with Joseph, and Indiana's bench was a major reason the team finished fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Signing Malcolm Brogdon essentially sealed Joseph's fate in Indiana. Brogdon will step into Darren Collison's spot in the starting lineup, and Aaron Holiday projects like a strong fit for the backup role. Collison shockingly retired ahead of the 2019 free-agency period.

Joseph's free-agent market was unsurprisingly solid, given his history of bench production, defensive ability and shooting prowess.

The Kings will add him to a roster they expect to make a playoff push next season after a competitive 2018-19. They already came to agreements with center Dewayne Dedmon and forward Trevor Ariza in the first day of free agency, along with agreeing to re-sign Harrison Barnes on a four-year deal.