The Pacers have a T.J. McConnell problem (and there is only 1 solution)

During the 2019 NBA offseason, guard T.J. McConnell joined the Indiana Pacers on a two-year, $7 million deal, leaving the Philadelphia 76ers, the place he called home for the first four years of his career.

In his first two seasons with the Pacers, the Pennsylvania native averaged 7.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Additionally, McConnell finished 11th in Sixth Man of the Year voting and 19th in Most Improved Player voting after the 2020-21 season.

After his 2020-21 campaign, McConnell received a four-year, $33.6 million contract to remain with the Pacers. In that time since, McConnell has turned into an important piece for Indiana's second unit.

Last season, the 32-year-old had a career year. Despite averaging a career-low 18.2 minutes per game, McConnell averaged a career-high 10.2 points per game.

Furthermore, he shot 55.6% from the field and 40.9% from the three-point line. McConnell also showed out in Indiana's playoff run, averaging 11.8 points on 48.6% shooting over the 17 games. This includes a 23-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In the loss, McConnell went 10-for-17 (58.8%) from the field.

However, McConnell's emergence creates a bit of a problem for the Pacers--he is becoming nearly irreplaceable. And with McConnell entering the final year of his contract, Indiana must take action as soon as possible to re-sign the veteran guard and keep him around for the foreseeable future.

The Pacers are reportedly "working to extend T.J. McConnell"

In June, The Athletic's Shams Charania spoke about McConnell's contract status on The Pat McAfee Show. Luckily for Pacers fans, it seems that the team is pursuing a contract extension for the guard.

Additionally, following the Pacers' playoff loss to Boston, general manager Chad Buchanan made it clear that McConnell's value is "obviously very, very high."

“From where it started, for what he thought the situation was going to be, maybe not playing, not in the rotation, to being compared to Michael Jordan in the Eastern Conference Finals by Jaylen Brown, that’s quite the contrast from start to finish,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said.

“But the love by his teammates, his coaches, the staff, the fans, I mean, he’s what you want an Indiana Pacer to be about. His value to us is obviously very, very high and that is not changed by anything that happened this year and (I) hope that he’s with us for a long time as well.”

Although nothing is imminent yet, it seems like McConnell is expected to stick with the Pacers for the long run. After their impressive playoff run last season, it will be interesting to how the team, along with McConnell, can take it to the next level for the 2024-25 season.