There were plenty of trades of the day of the 2019 NBA Draft.
15 of the 30 players taken in the first round are not actually going to the team who drafted them, as a result of either draft day trades or previously agreed upon trades.
MORE: Takeaways from the 2019 NBA Draft
Although the Pacers had a pretty normal draft day, they did contribute to the mayhem with a trade of their own before the draft began.
Indiana has traded for Phoenix’s TJ Warren, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2019
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski further suggests that the Pacers sent back cash for Warren and the 32nd pick of the 2019 Draft. The Pacers went on to trade that pick to the Miami Heat in exchange for three second-round draft picks.
Warren, a 25-year old 6-8 forward, has averaged 18.8 points on 49.3% shooting from the field in 101 games over the last two seasons.
However, his shooting improvement this past season will be most important to the Pacers. In 43 games in the 2018-19 season, he shot 42.8% from beyond the arc on 180 attempts.
In the draft, the Pacers had the 18th pick – they selected Georgian national Goga Bitadze.
Until the 6-11 forward – who was named the 2018-19 Adriatic League MVP and Best Young Player – makes any on-court impression, his name will make the rounds for this photo at the media availability a day before the Draft:
Goga Bitadze is a projected first-rounder, but was an afterthought next to Zion.
— ESPN (@espn) June 20, 2019
.@DwyaneWade and @Money23Green came through with some encouragement. (via @FletcherWDSU) pic.twitter.com/BeLMvWpBax
The Pacers also had the 50th pick (Jarrell Brantley) in the 2019 Draft, whose rights they traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for an unconditional second-round draft pick in 2021 and cash considerations.
The Pacers will visit India later this year, in October, for a couple of preseason games against the Sacramento Kings in the first-ever NBA India Games at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai on October 4 and 5.
