Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith discusses his contract extension
The Indiana Pacers and Aaron Nesmith agreed to terms on a contract extension and the deal was signed on Monday. It's a three-year agreement worth $33 million in total, bringing Nesmith's contract to four years, $38.6 million including the upcoming season.
Nesmith signed the extension on Monday in the Ascension St Vincent Center, which is where the Pacers practice. Members of the team stood on the courts as Nesmith put pen to paper, and they all cheered. He is a well-liked teammate, and now he's with the Pacers for the foreseeable future.
"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. 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," Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said in a team-issued statement.
The 24-year old wing just wrapped up a strong preseason. He averaged 10.5 points per game and shot nearly 54% from the field in four outings, and he displayed plenty of refined abilities. He already had a solid three-and-D base, but adding more ball handling certainly made it easy for the blue and gold to extend Nesmith's contract.
He's been the embodiment of what the blue and gold hope to be. Head coach Rick Carlisle has praised the former lottery pick for being exactly what the team is all about, his on and off-court fit has been great for the building Pacers.
Nesmith was traded to Indiana last summer in a deal that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics. He grew from a trade piece into a bench contributor quickly, and Nesmith was a starter by Thanksgiving. His value to the Pacers was high as one of the team's best perimeter defenders.
"It's awesome, it's exciting," Nesmith said of the extension. He felt rewarded by the deal, and his ascent with the franchise has been impressive.
"It's been a lot of fun. I try my best to live in the moment and appreciate the opportunity that I have here. But the job's not done. We've got work to do moving forward," he said.
In recent days. Nesmith began to expect that a deal would get done. He was focused on basketball during training camp, but with a 6 p.m. deadline existing on Monday for rookie-scale contract extensions, Nesmith and the Pacers became motivated. That led to a deal.
He signed the contract with a smile on his face, and he loved the chorus of cheers coming from his teammates. "That was great, that was fun. Good moment," he said. As he was describing the feeling, a teammate yelled, "Double A! Money man!" from nearby.
In his only season with Indiana, Nesmith averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He shot 36.6% from deep and defended well. He will likely toggle between the three and the four positions on the second unit to open the coming campaign.
"It's great news for the organization, for the city, for our team," head coach Rick Carlisle said of the extension. "He's still a very young player, and this positions him very well in his career and it positions our franchise well also."
Nesmith's new deal officially kicks in during the 2024-25 season. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, it's exactly $11 million per year.
"His game is totally on the come, everything about it," Carlisle said of Nesmith. The young wing will get a chance to prove that, and without the pressure of a contract year hanging over his head, starting on Wednesday when the Pacers begin regular season play.
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