F TJ Warren – Indiana Pacers
The emergence of TJ Warren last season has increased his value greatly as Warren was a player that the Pacers had a lot of faith in to grow into a great player. After the NBA’s resumption of play in the Orlando Bubble, Warren averaged 31.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and shot 52.4% from three-point range in six seeding games. He was named to All-Seeding Games First-Team as a result of his great play.
With Warren looking like an All-Star type talent entering the 2020-21 NBA season, the New Orleans Pelicans would have to give up a lot to get him, but he could be the player they need to solidify themselves as a legit championship contender.
Not only is T.J. Warren a great offensive player, but he is also one of the better defensive wing players in the league as well. Defensive Real Plus-Minus is an advanced statistic that tracks a player’s average impact on his team’s defensive performance, by the points allowed per 100 offensive possessions. Last season, Warren had a DRPM of 1.76, ranking him 9th in the league out of all small-forwards.
Even though the Pelicans do have Brandon Ingram at the small-forward position, they could play around with lineups putting Warren at the shooting guard position on the wing, or even moving Ingram to power-forward and Zion Williamson to center for a smaller, faster and higher-scoring lineup.
With the addition of a player like T.J. Warren, the New Orleans Pelicans would have a three-headed monster that would be one of the league’s best scoring trios. T.J. Warren is only owed $11.7M this upcoming season, which also makes him a very viable trade option for the Pelicans, who are over the salary cap and have financial restrictions when it comes to making a trade.
Hypothetically, they could package Lonzo Ball with a few NBA Draft picks in order to acquire T. Warren and if the Pacers were willing to trade him, this trade would work financially. Warren does not fit an immediate need at a position for this team, but his impact on the court would not go unnoticed. Creating a big-time trio in the Western Conference would make the Pelicans a tough team to beat and one of the more athletic teams in the entire NBA.
