Indiana Pacers fans should be excited about the future outlook of their team. Last season, the Pacers shocked the NBA world and made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2014. Additionally, with such a young team, led by All-NBA guard and Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are expected to be in contention for quite some time.
The Pacers have a solid core who, with some time together, could bring the franchise its first championship in history. What makes the Pacers especially exciting, however, is their contract situation.
In addition to bringing back nearly the exact same roster that led to a conference finals appearance last season, the Pacers have most of their core under contract for next season as well.
Over the last few seasons, the Pacers have given out long-term contracts to numerous players on the team. This summer alone, the team brought back Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin in free agency and signed Andrew Nembahrd to a long-term extension. The Pacers have made the necessary moves to bring their team out of a rebuild, and their good decisions have not gone unnoticed.
In an article for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus wrote about the 12 best contracts in the NBA. Pincus gave some love to the Pacers in the article, ranking Aaron Nesmith's contract as the third-best in the entire league. Only Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic and Aaron Wiggins of the Oklahoma City Thunder ranked higher.
Aaron Nesmith's contract ranked the third-best in the NBA according to Bleacher Report
Nesmith is entering the first year of his three-year, $33 million contract extension he signed ahead of last season.
The 24-year-old initially joined the Pacers after the team acquired him from the Boston Celtics in a package for Malcolm Brogdon. Initially considered a "throw-in" part of the trade, Nesmith has blossomed into a solid role player.
Last season, Nesmith enjoyed the best campaign of his four-year NBA career. In 72 games, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Additionally, he shot 49.6% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc. These numbers are all career highs for the forward.
Nesmith is clearly an important part of the Pacers' future, and the team should be happy to have him on such an affordable contract.