Getty Indiana Pacers wing TJ Warren against the Boston Celtics
Rumor has it that the Indiana Pacers are considering the possibility of entering a rebuild, and as such, would be willing to trade away multiple members of their current core. The Boston Celtics are clearly needing some upgrades off the bench and have naturally been mentioned as a possible trade partner.
Of course, the usual names have been linked to the Celtics recently. Guys like Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and even Malcolm Brogdon have all had their names floated in possible trade scenarios. It’s worth noting that the latter cannot be traded until the off-season due to signing an extension after the season had got underway.
Something important to note when dreaming up your Pacers trades: Malcolm Brogdon is ineligible to be traded before the trade deadline. This is due to the extension he signed this offseason.
Any trade scenario for one of the Pacers’ more prominent names would likely include a multitude of Boston’s younger talent, with Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Payton Pritchard all possible throw-ins to entice the Pacers into playing ball.
However, Danny Leroux of The Atheltic has a different player in his sights for the Celtics. In a recent article, the salary cap guru postulated the possibility of TJ Warren heading to Boston to provide the team with a supercharged punch off the bench.
“I really like Warren in Boston, as the Celtics have enough defensive talent to make sure Warren is not overextended but also could use someone who can work his way into shots without dominating possession,” Leroux wrote.
Warren Would Provide Shooting Off The Bench
A subpar shooter to begin his career, Warren averaged an anemic 28.3% from deep over his first three years in the league but managed to hit a respectable 50% from the field due to his interior game.
However, over his previous two full seasons in the NBA (2018-19, 2019-20,) the New Hampshire native has vastly improved his perimeter scoring, hitting 41.4% from deep and 51.7% from the field, per Basketball-Reference.
Watching the Celtics, it’s evident their roster doesn’t contain a reliable wing off the bench that can go and get buckets across all three levels without the need for dominating the ball. Sure, Josh Richardson and Grant Williams have emerged as impactful rotation players. When Dennis Schroder returns to the bench, his value to the team will increase, but Warren gives you another dimension of scorer.
Faster than Williams, more diverse than Richardson, and not as usage-heavy as Schroder – Warren would complement the current bench unit exceptionally well. And if the early December games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have taught us anything, it’s that the Celtics are still a bench piece or two away from being a deep playoff team.
Trading for Warren Makes No Sense
While undoubtedly a talented player, Warren has missed considerable time due to injury, having last played on December 29, 2020. After just four games of the condensed 2020-21 season, Warren was shut down due to requiring surgery on his foot and has been recovering ever since.
While his skill set would undoubtedly improve the Celtics bench unit, it’s unlikely the team would part ways with young, valuable assets to acquire him before Warren has proven himself impactful upon his return. Sure, trading for the Pacers wing now would represent a buy-low type of deal, but the Celtics are limited in terms of trade assets and cannot afford any new recruit to take time getting up to speed.
Furthermore, Warren is in the final year of his contract and will become a restricted free agent in the summer, per Spotrac. With his injury issues and the fact he’s a flight risk after this season, it makes no sense for the Celtics to part with any valuable assets, especially since they don’t project to be contending for a championship in the short term.
So, while the notion of Warren is an enticing one, the reality is, he’s likely the right person at the wrong time.