TJ Warren is the most underrated winner of the NBA Draft

The former N.C. State star was moved to Indiana on draft night

The Phoenix Suns made a move right before the draft, sending forward T.J. Warren and the 32nd overall pick (which was then traded for three second round picks) to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for cash considerations. Warren will enter the second year of a four year extension and is still owed $35 million. The move is a salary dump and clears cap space for the Suns.

The Pacers come out of this trade a clear winner, adding a reliable scorer to a team that floundered once Victor Oladipo was lost for the season, finishing 18th in offensive rating, scoring 109.9 points per 100 possessions.

The team relied heavily on small forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who had a career year in his age-29 season, averaging 18 points-per-game on 47-percent shooting. However, after Bogdanovic, there wasn’t much depth on the Pacers roster. That manifested in the playoffs, where despite entering with a 48-34 record, the Pacers were easily swept by the Celtics in the first round.

Adding Warren to the mix will greatly improve the team’s depth, scoring ability and three point shooting.

Warren played only 43 games, missing the final 33 games with an ankle injury. In the games he appeared, Warren averaged 18 points per game, on 43-percent shooting from three-point range. His three-point shooting markedly improved, jumping from 22-percent in 2017-18 and his three-point attempts per game jumped from just over one to over four per game.  He was the second leading scorer on the Suns, trailing only star guard Devin Booker.

While the Pacers add a legit scoring threat to a team that can contend in the Eastern Conference, Warren is the true winner of this trade. Warren leaves an abysmal situation in Phoenix to head to an Eastern Conference playoff team. He’ll pair up with talented playmakers with no pressure to be the man.

He leaves a team in the Suns, whom went 19-65 and hired its fourth coach in five years. Instead he’ll play for the Pacers, who haven’t had a losing record since 2015. laying in an environment like Indiana may even bring out more talent in Warren.

This trade was overshadowed by the Pelicans activity and the Suns acquiring Dario Saric, but at the end of the day, getting out of Phoenix makes Warren the most underrated winner of the 2019 NBA Draft.