Sat, Jul 6, 2019 at 12:00am

PACERS PICK UP TJ WARREN

In a three-team trade, the Indiana Pacers acquired forward TJ Warren from the Phoenix Suns and a second-round draft pick in 2022, a second-round draft pick in 2025 and a second-round draft pick in 2026 from the Miami Heat; the Heat acquired forward KZ Okpala from Phoenix, and the Suns acquired cash from Indiana.

What does it give the Indiana Pacers
The Pacers need help at forward, especially after losing Bojan Bogdanovic (UFA). So, Warren comes into a good situation with the Pacers. He will likely start at small forward in Bogdanovic's slot or come off the bench as the possible sixth man. Indiana was also able to land three second-rounders in this deal simply by absorbing the rest of Warren's contract (3 years, $35 million).

What does it give the Miami Heat
For the Heat, they were included in this trade in order to secure Okpala, a prospect they obviously like a lot. The 32nd overall selection in this year's draft was moved for three seconds, so Miami clearly has big plans for the former Stanford forward. He might not play in the rotation right away but should learn a ton from new Miami franchise player Jimmy Butler (acquired in another trade with Philadelphia).

What does it give the Phoenix Suns
The Suns were desperate to unload a contract, so it comes as no surprise that Phoenix dumped Warren to the Pacers (and added a sweetener in the No. 32 pick in the draft) for cash only. Phoenix needed help at point guard and power forward, so this trade helped them land a few more veterans this off-season. The Suns still have a lot of work to do in order to become a contender.

Fantasy impact
Warren's fantasy value should increase with the move to Indiana (especially if he starts or plays as the sixth man) next season. Okpala is a keeper option but his value for 2019-20 is negligible.