Former Boston Celtics forward was ‘blindsided' by Pacers trade (report)
While Aaron Nesmith has starred for the Pacers on his way to another NBA Finals appearance, to start his career, he was just looking for an opportunity with the Celtics. Nesmith was picked 14th overall in the 2020 draft, spending the first two seasons of his career in Boston.
But playing time was hard to come by on such a loaded roster. So after the C's made the 2022 NBA Finals, they dealt Nesmith to the Pacers as part of the Malcolm Brogdon trade. Turns out, Nesmith took it hard, according to his father, William Nesmith, who spoke with ClutchPoints in a recent story.
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'He was disappointed. He liked playing for Boston. He was actually out playing golf when he got the call,' the elder Nesmith told ClutchPoints. 'He didn't know. So, he was blindsided by it and wasn't so happy about that.'
Nesmith has flourished with Indiana since the trade, developing into a stellar 3-and-D player. That's why he was drafted out of Vanderbilt in the middle of the pandemic as his shooting and defense were expected to be his calling cards. Nesmith had a relatively slow start to his career, though that was partly due to the wings in front of him in the C's rotation.
But now, Nesmith looks the part of a legit contributor. These playoffs, he's averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20 games, shooting 49.1% on his 3-pointers. Nesmith has also had some massive games, including Game 1 of the East Finals against the Knicks, where he was crucial to the victory. The Pacers are currently tied 2-2 with the Thunder in the Finals going into Monday's Game 5 in Oklahoma City.
So, it all worked out for both sides. The Celtics eventually flipped Brogdon to the Trail Blazers as part of the Jrue Holiday deal. Boston went on to win the 2024 NBA Finals, its 18th championship in franchise history. Nesmith got much-needed playing time for his development as he should enjoy a long NBA career.
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'I'm never ever going to be angry at Boston because Boston picked him up in the lottery with a broken foot,' William Nesmith said. 'It didn't seem like it was going to work out in Boston. So, I was happy when he came over here and he got a chance to play because I realized when you get to this level, you still need a little luck, and you need to be in the right place.
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