Look at the Boston Celtics. Take a quick glance at their current roster and ask yourself, "What are they missing?"
Depending on your view of Paul George or Payton Pritchard, some would say that Boston needs another scorer to take pressure off of Jayson Tatum as he continues to work his way back from the torn Achilles he suffered just a few weeks before Tyrese Haliburton met the same fate.
However, after the Celtics dealt Jaylen Brown, it seems that they don't share the same perspective. If you asked Brad Stevens and the Boston front office what they would want to add at this moment, after bringing a rebounding specialist in Mitchell Robinson and a handful of decent supplmentary options, it would be a three-and-D wing.
How ironic it is that they had all of that and buried him on the bench before trading him for a decent sixth man point guard?
Anyway, the Indiana Pacers surely appreciate that they did.
Aaron Nesmith has blossomed into the perfect complement to any good team. Between his shooting, his relocation and movement, and his on- and off-ball defending, there is no team that wouldn't be made better by bringing him in.
The archetype of the "three-and-D wing" has always been highly valued, but has exploded in popularity in recent years. While that term is used widely, including for players who cannot shoot well enough or actually defend, Nesmith embodies it in its entirety.
As the offseason has worn on, many fans have been trying to find a way to go big-game hunting for yet another star. Considering the current state of the Pacers' cap table, there isn't a whole lot of tradeable money.
There is TJ McConnell's team option, the expiring contracts of Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, and Obi Toppin's semi-recent extension. Beyond those inoffensive but near valueless cap filler, there are two important Pacers cornerstones.
It may be hard to consider trading either Andrew Nembhard or Aaron Nesmith, but both make enough money while providing enough value to be attractive to a trade partner.
If that is the case, the Pacers would be far better off trading Nembhard as opposed to Nesmith. Heck, they may lose the Canadian guard soon anyway to their cap crunch.
There is no situation in which trading Nesmith betters the team
The argument between Nembhard and Nesmith is only worth having if you believe that you can only keep one. With the state of the books, there is a possible, albeit difficult, way to thread the needle. If Pascal Siakam is willing to take a discount and the Pacers are forced to give Zubac a near-max while renouncing the bird rights on all of their bench pieces, Indiana could find the space to extend Nembhard to a healthy raise.
However, if the question is of either/or, Nesmith far outvalues Nembhard on the court and on the open market.
Unfortunately, despite being the only Pacers draft pick over the past 10 years to pay off for the franchise, a scoring guard that can rotate in and out of on-ball reps depending on who he's sharing the court with is far easier to find than a 6'5 wing who can shoot off handoffs, never spots moving, and can guard the opposing team's best player.
Obviously, both is better, but there is absolutely no situation in which the Pacers should let Nesmith depart. They can survive Nembhard's absence. The same is not true for their perfect final starter.
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