Aaron Nesmith and the Indiana Pacers agreed to a 3-year, $33 million contract extension ahead of Monday night’s deadline to agree to extensions with players in the 2020 draft class, according to multiple reports. Nesmith would have entered restricted free agency next summer if the two parties did not agree on the deal, instead he’s under contract for the next four seasons with the Pacers.
“It’s a great feeling. I’m happy to be here. I wanted to be here,” Nesmith said after practice today. “… I came here with nothing but opportunity and being able to make the most of that and make this home is definitely a great feeling.”
Nesmith said that negotiations started heating up over the weekend but he’s just been focused on his duties on the court.
“You guys asked me about on media day,” said Nesmith who said he did expect something to get done once things started happening over the weekend. “I said I was just worried about basketball and that was the truth … just letting everything take care of itself.”
Nesmith arrived in Indiana along with Daniel Theis and a first-round pick in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics. After being stuck behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Nesmith had his first opportunity for a consistent role with the Pacers as he played primarily as an undersized power forward and started 60 games for the team.
“When Aaron Nesmith came in the trade last year, we had high hopes that he would be a long-term piece for us,” Rick Carlisle said. “This extension obviously solidifies that. We’re really happy for him.”
Since his first minutes at Summer League in 2022 with the Pacers, Nesmith has shown his eagerness to play and has steadily grown in many areas of his game. He’s shown an improved ability to finish drives going left, his handle has gotten tighter as time has gone on, his shot became more consistent over the course of last year, and he’s even had some flashes of impressive mid-range shot creation off the dribble over the team’s four preseason games.
“Since Aaron Nesmith’s arrival a year and a half ago, he has continually and consistently grown to become a respected teammate and an important part of what we’re building here,” Kevin Pritchard said in the Pacers press release of the signing. “Aaron continues to selflessly accept and succeed in every role that has been asked of him, all for the overall benefit of our team’s success, and given his trajectory to this point we’re looking forward to a bright future with him.”
Carlisle highlighted his versatility on defense, his improving ability to read opposing defenses, and his positional flexibility to allow the team to play big or small with him on the floor as key assets to the team.
His athleticism pops at times on vicious dunks and he continues to be one of the more capable perimeter defenders on the roster.
The contract feels very team friendly at just $11 million per season—which is less than the mid-level exception—for a player that at minimum should be a valuable role player off the bench at the wing and it’s a worthwhile bet for the Pacers that he can continue to improve his offensive game to become that much more valuable to the team as time goes on.
Nesmith is the second of the four 2020 lottery picks on the Pacers roster to agree to a rookie extension as Tyrese Haliburton got his mammoth extension done this summer. Jalen Smith is not eligible for an extension as the Suns declined his third-year option before trading him to the Pacers and Obi Toppin would seem likely to wait until this summer to hit restricted free agency when he’s had a full year with a much larger role than he ever had with the Knicks.
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