Pacers announce acquisition of T.J. Warren from Suns

It’s been widely known for weeks that forward T.J. Warren was headed to the Indiana Pacers, but with the NBA’s new league year opening on Saturday and the moratorium on transactions complete, the Pacers were finally able to announce the acquisition of the talented forward.

The Pacers agreed to acquire Warren from the Phoenix Suns back on draft night in exchange for cash considerations. As part of a three-team deal that included the Miami Heat, the Pacers also acquired the 32nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, which was subsequently sent to the Heat in exchange for three future second round draft picks.

“T.J. is a hybrid player in his prime, and he still has plenty of room to grow, which makes him the perfect addition to our team,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard. “He’s a unique scorer in that he can post up, he can make plays off the bounce and he’s really improved his shooting. He’s a really polished scorer and we are happy to have him.”

Warren was the Suns’ second-leading scorer last season, averaging 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He also shot 48.6 percent from the field and set career highs by shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range and 81.5 percent from the free-throw line. Originally selected with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Warren averaged 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game and shot 49.7 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point range over five seasons in Phoenix.