In the summer of 2022, the Indiana Pacers pulled off a trade that continues to reverberate through the NBA. By sending Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics, they secured Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, a first-round draft pick, and three salary fillers—a deal that, at the time, raised eyebrows but now looks like a masterstroke. The Pacers are still chuckling, and for good reason: Nesmith has emerged as the crown jewel of the trade, while Brogdon’s career teeters on the edge. For Celtics fans, the regret grows deeper by the day, as Nesmith would have been the perfect piece for their retooling roster.
Aaron Nesmith, the 6’5 wing, has blossomed into one of the league’s premier 3-and-D players. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, playing a pivotal role in the Pacers’ improbable run to the NBA Finals. Tasked with guarding the opposition’s top scorers, Nesmith proved his defensive mettle while knocking down shots from deep. His growth into an elite two-way player has Indiana’s front office grinning from ear to ear.
The Pacers saw Nesmith’s potential early on and seized the opportunity to acquire him. The first-round pick they received in the deal was later flipped to further bolster their roster, cementing their return to contention. With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined, Nesmith is poised for an even bigger role in the upcoming season. At just 25 years old, his upward trajectory suggests he’s far from done improving—a fact that only deepens Boston’s wounds.
On the other side of the trade, Malcolm Brogdon’s career has taken a starkly different path. Once a shining success story for the Pacers, where he won Rookie of the Year and developed into a 20-point-per-game scorer, Brogdon’s fortunes have faded. After a single season in Boston, where he earned the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year award, he was shipped to Portland in exchange for Jrue Holiday. Holiday proved instrumental in Boston’s 2024 championship run, but Brogdon’s tenure in Portland has been marred by injuries. Limited to just 63 games over the past two seasons, he remains unsigned deep into the 2025 offseason—a shocking fall for a player once seen as a cornerstone.
The Pacers, in contrast, sold high on Brogdon at the perfect moment. Few could have predicted that a player of his caliber would be fighting for his NBA future just three years later. The league moves fast, and Indiana’s front office capitalized on Brogdon’s value to secure a haul that continues to pay dividends.
For the Celtics, the trade is a painful reminder of what could have been. Boston’s offseason has been defined by a desperate attempt to shed salary and reset the luxury tax repeater clock. With Jayson Tatum sidelined for the year and key players like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis traded away, the Celtics are scrambling to stay competitive. Nesmith, with his team-friendly $11 million annual contract through 2027, would have been the ideal role player to complement Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. His ability to defend, shoot, and contribute on a budget makes him precisely the kind of player Boston needs to navigate their financial constraints while chasing playoff hopes.
The Celtics’ efforts to move Anfernee Simons have stalled, further highlighting their roster challenges. Nesmith’s emergence as a high-impact player on a cost-controlled deal only amplifies Boston’s miscalculation. Quality role players are the lifeblood of contending teams, and letting Nesmith slip through their fingers is a mistake that continues to sting.
For the Pacers, the trade represents a triumph of foresight and execution. Indiana’s front office has developed a reputation for making savvy moves, and this deal is a shining example. Not only did they acquire a budding star in Nesmith, but they also leveraged the additional assets to keep improving their roster. The first-round pick became a valuable chip in their ongoing quest to build a contender, and players like Daniel Theis added depth to a team on the rise.
As the Pacers look ahead, their faith in Nesmith’s potential has been richly rewarded. With Haliburton’s eventual return, Indiana is poised to remain a force in the Eastern Conference. Fans can’t help but marvel at how this trade continues to tilt in their favor, with Nesmith’s rise serving as a constant reminder of Boston’s costly error.
The Aaron Nesmith trade is a slam dunk for the Pacers, a deal that grows more lopsided with each passing season. While Brogdon struggles to find a new home, Nesmith is thriving as a cornerstone of Indiana’s resurgence. The Celtics, meanwhile, are left to ponder what might have been. For Pacers fans, the laughter is well-earned—and with Indiana’s front office continuing to make shrewd moves, the next blockbuster trade could be just around the corner. If it’s anything like this one, the rest of the NBA should be on notice.