The Boston Celtics traded away Aaron Nesmith to the Indiana Pacers in search of some veteran depth the team needed to compete at the highest level, bringing on Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon for Nesmith, big man Daniel Theis, a handful of deep rotation players and a draft pick.
The results have been by and large positive, but the Celtics had to give up some value in the future to get their veteran presence in the present, and that meant giving up on Nesmith’s uneven development as a player. Since then, the Vanderbilt product has begun to come into his own with Indiana, catching the attention of head coach Rick Carlisle in the process.
Speaking to the press ahead of Boston’s Wednesday night tilt with the Pacers, Carlisle shared how the team saw his leap forward as a player as Nesmith has recently secured himself a spot as a starter with Indiana.
Larry Bird first returned to the Boston Garden as an opposing coach in January of 1998. Rick Carlisle was there for the extraordinary moment. https://t.co/8mQDrtltU2
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 22, 2022