T.J. Warren – Indiana Pacers
While he does have a lot to prove during the 2021-22 season, T.J. Warren could be a very affordable trade target for a handful of contending teams league-wide near the NBA trade deadline.
Warren played in just four games last season before suffering a season-ending foot injury that required surgery and he is still out indefinitely, putting his status to begin the season in doubt.
When healthy, the 28-year-old wing definitely is an impact player and proved to be down in the NBA Bubble, where he was named the MVP of the NBA’s resumption of play. In 10 games down in the Orlando Bubble, Warren averaged 26.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, helping the Pacers claim the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference, but they ultimately lost to the Miami Heat in the first round.
Indiana is in a tough spot as a franchise right now and the 2021-22 season is very much a “make-or-break” year for them.
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If the Pacers are struggling by midseason and out on the outside of the playoff picture, they could be very open to making trades. T.J. Warren is in the final year of his contract and is on a very moveable $12.6M deal, so he could end up being one of the more sought-after trade targets if he comes back and plays at a high-level after his injury.
Since coming to Indiana ahead of the 2019-20 season, Warren has averaged 19.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and has shot 39.1% from three-point range. Given his abilities to score and defend at a relatively high level, T.J. Warren is definitely a player who could fit in with the Miami Heat’s plan of attack on both ends of the court.
He is listed as a small forward, but standing 6’8” and being a two-way player, the Heat could play around with their lineup to have Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, T.J. Warren, P.J Tucker, and Bam Adebayo all out there on the court together with Duncan Robinson being a 40% three-point shooter off-the-bench.
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Adding Warren to their rotation would surely be a big move for the Heat to make, but financially, this would definitely be a challenging move to make.
