Indiana Pacers: 3 most tradeable players following Chris Duarte’s rise

TJ Warren’s continuous absence for the Indiana Pacers doesn’t help his case

I’ve already tackled in a previous article why a TJ Warren extension is far from a guarantee. While that may indeed be the case, Chris Duarte’s surge may push that agenda further as the front office could very well consider trading him this season to capitalize on the scoring forward’s still-considerable value.

For this to be a justified act, however, two things must happen: one, setbacks plague his projected return to the Pacers this season, and at that point, the team has already been winning with their current set-up, and two, his return from injury is not only hoarded with considerable rust, but his placing on the team has become dangling.

While Warren’s return this season is still wanted by nearly everyone in the Indiana circle, he’s now far from having the same invincible status that he gained after his breakout season in 2019-20. The Pacers could have already moved on from him, albeit passively under the pretense of adapting to his absence, by the time he returns to the lineup.

Really, the only thing holding this back is that both sides have remained steadfast on staying committed to each other, hence this ranking.