What is T.J. Warren worth, and what is he worth to the Indiana Pacers?
By Rhett Bauer
What is T.J. Warren worth to the Pacers?
Not only is there the external leverage from the market for SF/PFs, but Warren also has some internal leverage as the only Pacer who can consistently play SF/PF on both sides of the ball. Justin Holiday and Doug McDermott do a lot of great things, but are not suited to be full time PFs on the defensive end. This is even more evident right now since the Pacers are playing without Warren as he recovers from plantar fasciitis.
We know the Pacers won’t pay the luxury tax, which is understandable right now since we don’t know if this team can compete at a level worth paying the tax for. Until they prove otherwise, we can assume there is a hard cap at the $132.6 million expected for the 2021-22 season, with the potential to slightly rise in 2022-23 when T.J. Warren’s new deal would kick in.
Other than a trade sending a large salary out while receiving minimal salary back like what Boston did with Hayward, the Pacers will have to sacrifice depth in order to retain everyone in their starting lineup without going into the tax. The most straightforward path is the Pacers could simply opt to not bring back Doug McDermott, T.J. McConnell, and Jeremy Lamb over the next two off-seasons.
McDermott and McConnell combine for $10.8 million that could be freed in 2021 for Oladipo’s raise, while Lamb could free up $10.5 million in 2022 for Warren’s raise. A little rich of a raise for both players right now, but it makes for easy math!
Except the Pacers won’t give each player an $11 million raise because Aaron Holiday and Edmund Sumner will also be free agents after the 2021-22 season alongside Warren. Holiday has earned a raise from his $4 million salary, and while Sumner may not be guaranteed another deal, at the very least those two present more variables to keep in mind moving forward.
Where does that leave the Pacers?