Pacers stay patient in free agency, move on from Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren

A few hours before the 2022 NBA Draft kicked off in Brooklyn, I tweeted that I expected the Pacers to make a trade based off "vibes." It was partly a joke, but with so much attention on Malcolm Brogdon, it felt like Indiana might really pull the trigger and trade him to Washington or New York, two teams that were heavily linked to Brogdon and needed a point guard.

After the Pacers drafted Bennedict Mathurin at No. 6, it turns out I was preparing for a trade that wouldn't come.

Washington kept its No. 10  pick and drafted Wisconsin's Johnny Davis, while New York traded its No. 11 pick to Oklahoma City for three 2023 first-round picks. As the draft went on, it became clear Indiana wasn't moving Brogdon.

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During the second round, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan spoke to the media and addressed the biggest questions of the night: Why didn't a trade involving Brogdon or Myles Turner, happen?

"We're always gonna be aggressive, but there's always certain price points," Buchanan said. "Sometimes you have to walk away from deals if it's not right for your team."

That response didn't stop me from wondering if the Pacers had missed a golden opportunity, but to their credit, their patience paid off.

Malcolm Brogdon trade

Boston wasn't one of the teams rumored to be interested in Brogdon, but one day after free agent negotiations began June 30, he was traded from the Pacers to the Celtics.

Indiana received Boston's 2023 top-12 protected first-round and five players: Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith and former IU star Juwan Morgan. Nesmith, a young wing, and Theis, a veteran forward, seem the most likely to remain with the Pacers and play.

So if you're the type that only views trades through the lens of who won, I'd say it's the Celtics because they may have acquired the piece that could help them get back to the Finals and win a championship. However, I don't think it's fair to say the Pacers lost.

If Brogdon, 29, were younger and wasn't injury prone, Indiana would've gotten more for him. But he played a career-low 36 games last season and still has three years left on his contract worth $67.6 million. Plus, the Pacers already have their point guard of the future, 22-year-old Tyrese Haliburton, who scored more points (18.6 vs. 14.9) and shot better from the field (50.9%) vs. (48.4%) and 3-point line (45.7% vs. 33.3%) without Brogdon on the floor alongside him.

Clearing cap space by dealing Brogdon and most likely gaining another first-round pick were good long-term moves for Indiana, which could have three first-round picks next season if its trade with Cleveland holds up and the Cavs make the playoffs. (The Pacers would then have their own first-round pick, Boston's and Cleveland's).

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There's been chatter about the Pacers missing out on Grant Williams in the Brogdon trade, but I wouldn't pay it much attention. Brogdon is not worth a 23-year-old wing, and the bigger picture, again, is to save money and hand the keys to Haliburton, who team president Kevin Pritchard has already likened to two former Colts star quarterbacks.

"We really feel like when we put the ball more in Tyrese's hands that he can really blossom into something special," Pritchard said after Indiana traded two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento for Haliburton last season. " ... For me, when you get those kind of guys, it's like getting the (Peyton Mannings) and the Andrew Lucks."

Keeping Jalen Smith

The Pacers have only made one free agent signing so far, and it was a surprising one.

When Jalen Smith was traded from Phoenix to Indiana, it seemed likely that he'd leave the Pacers when the season ended as an unrestricted free agent. Since the Suns declined his third-year rookie option — which has only happened five other times in league history  — and the Pacers traded for Smith, Indiana still had to abide by Smith's rookie contract rules and could only offer him a maximum of $10.6 million for two seasons — the value of the two option years the Suns declined.

That seemed well below market value after Smith, 22, thrived with the Pacers, but apparently it was enough to keep him around. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Smith is returning to Indiana on a two-year deal worth $9.6 million, though the full details of the contract have not been revealed.

Smith immediately bolsters the Pacers' frontcourt, and he's young enough to grow alongside Haliburton and the rest of the team's young core.

The 6-10 forward, who was the 10th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 53.1% overall and 37.3% on 3s in 22 games with Indiana. If Smith can continue tapping into the potential that once made him a lottery pick, the Pacers could have their hands on one of the pieces Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the franchise needs to turn the corner.

"We have to be an organization that has those big dreams," Carlisle said during an introductory press conference for the team's three draft picks last month. "But to get there it's gonna start with the draft, it's gonna start with a great point guard — a great young point guard — and then adding the pieces gradually and not skipping any steps."

T.J. Warren joins Nets

T.J. Warren missed the entire 2021-22 season after playing just four games in 2020-21 due to consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. Despite his injury woes, I thought Indiana would bring him back. the 28-year-old wouldn't warrant a huge payday, and the Pacers lacked wing depth, so it seemed like a well-calculated risk.

However, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Tuesday that Warren agreed to a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Nets, ending his three-year stint with the Pacers. It's hard for me to believe Indiana couldn't have offered Warren a little more money, but perhaps it was ready to part ways.

Similar to trading Brogdon, not retaining Warren gives Indiana more opportunities to invest in younger and healthier players. Warren averages 15.5 points per game for his career and could return to form this season or he may never be that player again.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jalen Smith stays with Pacers after Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren trade