Revisiting Pacers-Celtics Aaron Nesmith trade: Memes to dreams. Who's laughing now?
The Tyrese Haliburton trade was franchise altering. The Pascal Siakam trade was transformational. But don't undersell the deal that sent Aaron Nesmith to the Pacers.
Nesmith plays with a chip on his shoulder. One firmly affixed there following his trade from Boston to Indiana in the summer of 2022.
The Celtics drafted Nesmith 14th overall in 2020, but their patience wore thin and swapped him and pieces to the Pacers for Malcolm Brogdon.
It was a trade many at the time lauded the Celtics and Brad Stevens for.
Boston robbed them. My god.
This is a robbery.
Pacers robbed in broad daylight.
You get the idea.
'It was a brilliant move for Stevens to acquire Brogdon without giving up one rotation player," Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe wrote following the trade. "Nesmith was an Ainge pick, and he never panned out as the pinpoint 3-point shooter he was projected to be coming out of Vanderbilt. Stevens told reporters last week Nesmith was an 'exceptional' shooter, but it did not translate to games.
'It was a troubling statement because Nesmith's struggles may be psychological and it became apparent it was time for a new team.'
In addition to Nesmith, Boston also sent Nik Stauskas, Daniel Theis, Juwan Morgan, Malik Fitts and a 2023 first-round pick to the Pacers.
One tweet in particular caught Nesmith's eye. Bleacher Report posted a SpongeBob SquarePants meme: "What the Celtics gave up for Brogdon," with an open hand with just a paperclip and spare string in the palm.
'As soon as the trade happened I saw the tweet and I saved it immediately,' Nesmith said in 2023. "I'm someone that takes things personally and I think that helps make me better. It's what makes me drive to the gym at night. Seeing that tweet is always on my mind for sure.'
Most of the trade grades skewed heavily in favor of the Celtics. But with time, it looks like a Pacers stroke of genius rather than a "Stevens masterclass."
Brogdon (14.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg) did go on to win Sixth Man of the Year, but only played one season in Boston. He was particularly poor in the Celtics' Eastern Conference Finals seven-game defeat to Miami, averaging just 5.7 points and 1.3 assists on 31% shooting, including 3-of-18 from behind the arc in the series. Boston upgraded in the 2023 offseason by sending Brogdon to Portland for Jrue Holiday.
With Holiday at point guard, the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Finals, while the oft-injured Brogdon has missed more games than played over the past two seasons with Portland and Washington.
Meanwhile, Nesmith has turned into a vital cog to an ever-improving Pacers team. He's averaged double-digit scoring each of his three seasons in Indiana, is a strong defender and just averaged a career-high 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in the Pacers' five-game series vs. the Bucks. His chase-down block on Bobby Portis in Game 4 was one of the standout moments of the series.
"He sacrificed himself, man," Pacers center Myles Turner said. "Landing on your back like that is not fun, but it sparked a big play for us. That's just not new for him. It's very on par for what Aaron Nesmith brings to our team. Just a hard-nosed guy. I think he does an amazing job of just selling out. He'll go out there and just put his body, his life on the line for the team."
"That's who Double-A is," Tyrese Haliburton added. "What he brings doesn't always show up on the scoresheet. Some people say, like, they're willing to die for this. Double-A is willing to die for this. He gives it his all every night and I think every team in the NBA wants a guy like Aaron Nesmith. Every team who wins big and ultimately wins it all always has a guy like Aaron Nesmith."
Let's take a look back at the trade grades and live reaction to the trade, which of course, favors the Pacers in hindsight.
∎ Andy Bailey, Bleacher Report: B+
"If this is the best they could get, great. Waiting for the trade deadline could've helped, but it also might've backfired. Given all the injuries Brogdon had suffered through over the last few years, another one in 2022-23 could've scared teams away from including any firsts. In this case, Indiana can at least tout that it got one, and Aaron Nesmith isn't a bad prospect to take a flier on."
∎ Michael Kaskey-Blomain, CBS Sports: B-
Called the Pacers' move a "prudent one" made with an eye toward the future.
"The pick probably won't be too high as the Celtics project to be very good again next season, but it's still valuable nonetheless. The argument could be made that they should have held onto Brodgon until the trade deadline in order to maximize his trade value, but that's simply speculation. The team found a deal they liked now, and moved on it. There's nothing wrong with that."
∎ Cole Huff, For The Win: B-
"Maybe Nesmith ends up being something. Theis could get flipped, but if not, he's a fine placeholder while the Pacers rebuild. Everyone else involved is unimportant. Nevertheless, I LIKE the trade for Indy but don't LOVE it."
∎ Michael Pina, Sports Illustrated: C+
"That haul isn't atrocious but was it really the best Indiana could do? Trades are complex negotiations and I'm sure they canvassed the league looking for some combination of young talent and draft capital. The list of interested teams that need a guard and are willing to shed both of those things for Brogdon might not have been so long, though."
"(Indiana is) a team that has a long way to go before they're good again. This was a decent enough move (albeit unspectacular) to get them where they want to go."
∎ Zach Harper, The Athletic: C-
"The Pacers could have done better here, but they're on their way to living in the depths of the lottery, and that's how they choose to reset.
"The problem I have with this return is the young guy the Pacers got isn't someone they couldn't have plucked out of the G League, the veteran role player is someone maybe they can flip for a second-round pick and the 2023 first-round pick doesn't give them a high likelihood of a definite contributor in the future."
Former IndyStar reporter Matthew VanTryon contributed to this story.
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