Indiana Pacers: 3 options to replace TJ Warren in free agency

The Indiana Pacers should exhaust whatever they can to bring back Jalen Smith

Speaking of options, why not start with the evident in-house solution, right?

After coming over from the Phoenix Suns in the Torrey Craig trade, sophomore big man Jalen Smith has impressed a lot of heads with his surprisingly effective play off the bench, averaging 13.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on 56.1 shooting overall while canning a remarkable 45.2 percent of his three-point tries.

The Pacers do not have much leeway to sign him back, as the Suns’ declining of his team option essentially made him an unrestricted free agent along the way, giving Indiana a very limited financial gamut to re-sign him in view of his original option.

Teams will probably come hard at Smith, who has show that he can be more than just a bench player in the league. Cap-rich clubs like Orlando, San Antonio, and Portland both have the resources and the rotational need for the big man.

Still, Indiana should still be in the cards for the young big man. The familiarity, not to mention the opportunity that he got in the Circle City could be enough to entice him to sign for cheap on the interim before working on a bigger deal later on, as long as he’s willing to take the risk.