As the Boston Celtics watch the 2025 NBA Finals, they have to be sick over knowing that one of the stars of the Indiana Pacers was once a member of the Celtics -- and that they essentially threw him into a trade for nothing. Years later, it is clear that Indiana fleeced Boston in that trade.
The Celtics drafted Aaron Nesmith with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 6'5" wing out of Vanderbilt had a relatively simple draft profile: he was a lights-out shooter who would struggle to be more than average on defense. His player comparisons were to players like Duncan Robinson and Allen Crabbe.
Here is what draft expert Sam Vecenie said when the Celtics drafted Nesmith: "he won’t kill you on defense, but he’s not going to really make an impact....but it will likely be wrong to call Nesmith a true 3-and-D guy, too." Boston drafted Nesmith expecting a sharpshooter.
Then Nesmith couldn't hit a shot during his first two seasons in the NBA. He shot 71 of 223 from 3-point range with the Celtics, a dismal 31.8 percent after shooting 52.5 percent from deep his final season in college. If a player whose sole real NBA skill is shooting fails to shoot it's hard to sink continued resources into him.
That was the thinking, at least, when Boston included him as a part of the pou pou platter of assets going back to the Indiana Pacers in July of 2022. The Celtics targeted Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon to be their Sixth Man and in exchange sent Nesmith, Daniel Theis, a 2023 first-round pick and three end-of-roster players.
Brogdon had a perfectly fine season in Boston, winning Sixth Man of the Year and averaging 14.9 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range. The Celtics then traded him away as a part of the matching salary in the Jrue Holiday trade the following summer. If the cost was merely a first-round pick, it seemed fine for what the Celtics got from Brogdon.
Aaron Nesmith turned into a 3-and-D monster in Indiana
While Theis and the rest of the players tossed into the trade never amounted to much, Nesmith was another story. He took major strides each season with the Pacers, developing into a high-end starting wing for them. He shot 43.1 percent from deep this year on 4.3 attempts per game and overall in three seasons with the Pacers has hit over 40 percent from long range.
What is more remarkable is that he has also become a phenomenal defender, able to take on smaller guards and larger wings. He shut down Jalen Brunson the last two years in the playoffs. He is taking on assignments such as Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Williams, two All-NBA players, and largely holding his own. It has been a remarkable development.
In addition to being a steady two-way part of the starting lineup, Nesmith has also had moments of brilliance. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals he caught fire from deep and scored 20 points in less than five minutes to key a comeback for the ages. It was a truly special moment for Nesmith and for Indiana.
The Celtics would love a player like Nesmith right now, as would any team in the NBA. He has developed into the exact sort of high-end role player every contending team needs. He is starting at small forward for a team one win away from an NBA Championship -- and the Celtics shrugged and dropped him into a trade for an aging bench guard as if it were nothing.
No one expected Nesmith to turn into this, but Boston blew their chance to develop such a player themselves. They gave up on Nesmith and sent him packing, and he has built an exceptional career on his new team.
