Indiana Pacers: Pass or pursue on the team’s upcoming free agents

Should TJ Warren have the chance to play another game for the Indiana Pacers?

Easily the most sensitive panel of this discussion, TJ Warren‘s upcoming free agency will be enigmatic not only for the Indiana Pacers, but also for the rest of the league. After missing two seasons due to a foot injury, there’s little that teams could do to properly infer his value as a free agent.

Factoring in that uncertainty, the rest of the league may depend on the Pacers front office as the barometer, as Indiana could volunteer to be the team that takes another risk at the talented scorer. The financial push and pull between the two parties could easily determine his worth around the league, especially with so many teams financially limited from pursuing him.

Now, should the Pacers re-sign him? If he can play and accept a streamlined deal, which is injury-inflicted, then this should be a no-brainer. Otherwise, Indiana will be much better off tendering offers to defensive-minded forwards who could take on his projected role. Also, his niche as an offensive machine is also not a cause for desperation given the team’s ample array of scorers anyway.

Still, realistically speaking, this is the Indiana Pacers we’re talking about. Going by precedence, bank on the front office to have exhaustive discussions with TJ Warren this offseason about a return.

Verdict: Pass (though the Pacers will likely pursue)