Golden State Warriors Have Trade Interest in Former Vanderbilt Star
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The Vanderbilt Commodores have sent some stars to play in the NBA over the years. One of the more recent is Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith.
Nesmith has become a key role player for the Pacers over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, he has been out since early this season due to an ankle injury and has played in only six games.
That being said, with the NBA trade deadline right around the corner, Nesmith's name is becoming a popular one.
Indiana could look to pull off a trade or two to increase its chances of competing in the Eastern Conference, where they reached the Finals last season before falling to the Boston Celtics. Nesmith happens to be one of the contracts that might have to be included in a trade.
One potential trade that the Pacers have been linked to is with the Brooklyn Nets for forward Cam Johnson. In order for that deal to get done, a third team would likely have to get involved.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints is reporting that the Golden State Warriors could be the third team to get involved and that Nesmith would be a name that they would be interested in.
Dealing for Nesmith would help Golden State fill a gap at shooting guard due to the departure of De'Anthony Melton, now with Brooklyn. Nesmith also carries a reasonable salary for a player of talent. He's on a $33 million deal that ends in 2026-27.
"Aside from his talents on the court, Nesmith's contract allows him to be an asset in possible future trade discussions for a team like the Warriors, who will be hunting for superstar talents who become available over the next few seasons," Siegel wrote.
Last season with Indiana, Nesmith ended up playing in 72 games and starting in 47 of them. He was also a key part of the Pacers' playoff run.
He ended up averaging 12.2 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Nesmith also shot 49.6 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from three-point range.
Only time will tell if Indiana actually ends up moving him, but the former Vanderbilt star is going to continue being mentioned in rumors.
It will be interesting to see if Nesmith is able to make his return to the Pacers and help them compete once again this season or if he finds himself with a new team before the deadline. Either way, the hope is that he can return to the court in the near future.
Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.