Despite the ceaseless—and perpetually paused—hopes of TJ Warren getting back into action for the bottom-dwelling Indiana Pacers after missing basically two seasons, there is still some appropriate curiosity as to why the franchise remains invested in having him on the roster.
However, with free agency starting to loom for the retooling Pacers, Warren’s situation should make for one of the most interesting storylines to watch for the team in the offseason, where Indiana is expected to finally make some waves factoring in their draft strategy and suddenly ample cap space.
The Indiana Pacers will face some tough questions about the future of TJ Warren? What are their options to replace him in an imminent breakup?
While the 2022 class of free agents is relatively stale once again, the Pacers are one of the very few teams (Magic, Pistons, Spurs, Trail Blazers) with considerable wiggle room to sign free agents outright.
That means that Indiana, despite not being a lustrous destination for free agents historically, could be in line to attract some key cogs by virtue of money. Alas, their main competition on the market, the four other teams listed, are not free agent hotspots either. If the Pacers decide to spend and zero in on someone, they should be able to get their guy.
With that on fold, here are three options that the Indiana Pacers should consider to replace TJ Warren.
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.
Kyle Anderson’s versatility will make the Indiana Pacers a more shifty bunch
“Wait, but the Pacers are trying to play faster! Why in the world would you want to bring in someone with a nickname called Slo-Mo?!”
It’s because Kyle Anderson‘s game is a lot more visceral than his Zen-like pace.
Widely known as one of the more deliberate players in the game, Anderson’s turtle-like movements have been one of the more perplexing misfits among league-wide trends. However, there’s a reason why he’s been a valued role player in his career, serving as a three-dimensional forward for the Grizzlies, and before that, the Spurs.
Nothing about Anderson’s game is sexy, but boy does he have a lot of skills. He can score in the post in mismatches, can open threes (albeit, the realllly open variants), zip in passes with the understanding of angles like a guru of geometry, and most importantly, defend multiple positions while handling size and speed deficits, a sheer weakness of this current Indiana team.
Oh, and he will probably not be an expensive free agent to target. Do it, Pacers.
Bobby Portis would be a tremendous addition to the Indiana Pacers frontcourt
Despite us raving about the Indiana Pacers’ frontcourt collection right now, in reality, the team is far from secured in that area for the future. Save for Isaiah Jackson and Myles Turner, the team has marginal contribution from its other big men in the roster in light of Smith being a bona fide flight risk in free agency, Goga Bitadze being a forgettable piece, and Terry Taylor being better off as depth insurance.
Hence, the Pacers should continue to look into adding to and bolstering their frontcourt. One player that they could target is Bobby Portis, who has been enjoying a career-year as a starter for the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks.
Now why would he leave such a perfect situation? Money. Portis already took a massive discount with the reek of champagne and the chance to defend the title still kicking in. With a player option, he could very well decide that it’s time to cash in. And the hard-capped Bucks may not have sufficient ammo to ink him to a richer deal barring a cap-relief move.
Prospectively, Portis could function as a starter or a super-sub, playing next to Turner and Jackson as a floor-spacing big man who can rebound tenaciously while doubling as a key defensive cog. He’s not as good as Turner or even his own teammate Brook Lopez in deterring shots, but he’s easily a more tenable option in defending in space with his mobility.