What is Aaron Nesmith’s contract? Closer look as Pacers’ agree to lucrative extension with former Celtic
The Indiana Pacers have secured Aaron Nesmith with a significant contract, ensuring his presence on the team until 2027. The deal is said to be valued at $33 million over three years and it will take effect starting the 2024-25 NBA season.
ESPN's cap expert, Bobby Marks has revealed in his post on the social media platform X that Nesmith will have an annual earning of $11 million. Through this agreement, it accounts for 7.8% of the Pacers cap space in the 2024-25 season and decreases slightly to 7% in 2026-27.
Nesmith, entering his fourth year in the NBA, will be earning $5.6 million before it jumps up the following season.
Aaron Nesmith, a former Vanderbilt Commodore, was initially drafted as the 14th overall pick by the Boston Celtics. However, he was traded to Indiana two years later along with Daniel Theis, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Nick Stauskas, and a 2023 first-round pick in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon.
In his recent year with the Pacers, Aaron Nesmith averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 60 games.
Aaron Nesmith is thankful to the Indiana Pacers for the chance to show his skills
Being a Boston Celtic in his first two years, Aaron Nesmith saw his playing minutes go down from 14.5 to 11.0. But when he got to the Indiana Pacers, he got his wish for more playing time as he registered 24.9 minutes a game.
According to his interview with the Pacers, Nesmith developed confidence and found his position in the NBA as a result of this opportunity to sink his feet further into the water.
"It helped a lot," said Nesmith on the increased playing time. "Just being able to learn for 82 games what kind of player I can be in this league, how I can impact teams and impact winning. It was very helpful and it was a lot of fun."
"You can try and simulate game reps as much as possible in practice and in your workouts, but it will never replace the real thing. Getting these game reps was monumental for me. It's been a whole bunch of fun all year," he added.
Heading to the 2023-24 NBA season, Aaron Nesmith finds himself as the third-string power forward behind Obi Toppin and rookie Jarace Walker.
Their season begins on Wednesday, October 25 as they host the Washington Wizards at the Gainbridge, Fieldhouse.