Aaron Nesmith, a former guard for the Boston Celtics, and the Indiana Pacers have come to terms on a three-year, $33 contract deal, according to his agent, who spoke to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday.
That’s a noteworthy contract for Nesmith, who struggled to establish himself in Boston after the Celtics selected him with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Despite being a deadly 3-point shooter at Vanderbilt, Nesmith played only 14.5 minutes per game as a rookie and just 11 minutes per game in Year 2. He also shot 31.8 percent from 3-point range over those two seasons.
Malcolm Brogdon, who later won NBA Sixth Man of the Year last season, was acquired by the Celtics in July 2022 from the Pacers in exchange for Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Nik Stauskas, and a 2023 first-round selection. Nesmith, who averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game in 2022–23 while appearing in 73 games (60 starts) and making 36.6 percent of his 3-point attempts, benefitted from the deal as well.
The Pacers have now rewarded Nesmith with a three-year deal worth $11 million per year through the 2025–2026 season, which is more than the $9.8 million per year earned by Celtics veteran Al Horford.
Still, the C’s likely don’t regret parting with Nesmith: They got an excellent season out of Brogdon in 2022-23, then flipped the veteran guard to the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason in a trade that brought Jrue Holiday to Boston.
