Aaron Nesmith, Pacers Agree To Major New Contract Extension

The Indiana Pacers locked up All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton to a long-term extension earlier this offseason, agreeing to the rookie scale max with him. He will now be joined long-term by Aaron Nesmith, who agreed to an extension of his own on Monday.

Newsmith and the Pacers worked out a three-year, $33 million extension according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, via his agent, Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management. That makes Nesmith the 10th player from the 2020 NBA Draft class to agree to a rookie scale extension ahead of the deadline Monday night at 6 p.m. ET.

Nesmith was the No. 14 overall pick that year by the Boston Celtics out of Vanderbilt. He was considered the best shooter in that year’s draft class and didn’t live up to that billing with the Celtics. But, after landing in Indiana as part of the Malcolm Brogdon trade last summer, he has begun finding his footing.

As a rotation regular, something he wasn’t with during his first two seasons with the Celtics, Nesmith averaged 24.9 minutes per game, appearing in 73 contests and starting 60 of them. He scored a career-high 10.1 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. 

His 3-point shooting percentage was 36.6, as Nesmith is an important piece of the team’s rotation, providing a 3-and-D skill set on the wing. From February on, that percentage rose to 40, as he showed that shooting ability teams were drawn to during the pre-draft process.

It will be interesting to see if Nesmith’s deal is the final one that the Pacers get done. Obi Toppin, who was acquired from the New York Knicks in a trade this offseason, is also eligible for a rookie scale extension. Will Indiana work out a deal with him before the deadline, or allow him to reach restricted free agency next summer?