If the Pacers are going to make a painful choice somewhere in this roster build, Aaron Nesmith should not be the one walking out the door.
That’s the real lesson here. Indiana may have more flexibility to replace a guard like Andrew Nembhard than it does to replace what Nesmith gives them every night. And with the way the cap sheet is set up, that distinction matters.
Nesmith has grown into exactly the kind of player contenders covet: a true three-and-D wing who actually lives up to the label. He can shoot, he keeps moving, he relocates well, and he handles both on-ball and off-ball defense. That package is rare enough that virtually any good team would get better by adding him.
The term “three-and-D wing” gets thrown around constantly these days, often too loosely. Nesmith is the real thing.
That’s part of why the comparison with Boston is so striking. The Celtics have moved on from Jaylen Brown and now, if you’re asking what they’d want to add after bringing in Mitchell Robinson and a handful of solid supporting pieces, the answer would look a lot like the kind of wing Nesmith already is. It’s also a little ironic that they once had that exact player and kept him buried before moving him for a decent sixth-man point guard.
Indiana, meanwhile, should be grateful it ended up on the right side of that deal.
The Pacers’ offseason has also pushed the conversation toward bigger swings, with plenty of fans looking for a way to chase another star. But there isn’t much movable money on the roster.
TJ McConnell has a team option. Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard have expiring contracts.
Obi Toppin is on a relatively recent extension. After that, the useful cap pieces thin out quickly.
That leaves the two names that actually matter: Nembhard and Nesmith.
It’s understandable to wonder whether one of them has to go. Both have enough value to attract interest, and both make enough money to be part of a meaningful trade. But if Indiana is choosing between them, the answer is clear.
Trade Nembhard before you even think about moving Nesmith.
There is at least a path, however messy, to keeping Nembhard if the Pacers want to thread the needle. If Pascal Siakam accepts a discount, and if Indiana has to hand Zubac a near-max deal while giving up the bird rights on its bench pieces, the team could find room to extend Nembhard with a healthy raise.
But if the question is which player is more valuable, the edge goes to Nesmith - on the floor and on the market.
That’s because a scoring guard who can bounce between on-ball duties depending on the lineup is easier to find than a 6-foot-5 wing who can shoot off handoffs, keep moving without the ball, and take on the opponent’s best scorer. Indiana can survive losing Nembhard. It cannot afford to lose the player who fits as its perfect final starter.
And while Nembhard is the only Pacers draft pick over the last 10 years to really pay off for the franchise, that still doesn’t change the math. Both is the best outcome. But if it comes down to one, Nesmith is the one Indiana has to keep.
In Other News...
Pacers May Have Passed On Their Boldest Title Swing Yet
The idea of Giannis Antetokounmpo in an Indiana Pacers uniform is the kind of hypothetical that stops a season cold, even if it never got close to reality. The piece looks at what a Milwaukee Bucks trade framework might have demanded from Indiana and why the Pacers, with their roster as constructed, could have been an intriguing fit for a superstar whose downhill force and rim pressure change everything around him.
It also underscores the risk and cost of a swing that enormous, because any deal for Antetokounmpo would have required a massive haul going the other way. Still, the appeal is obvious: a player of that caliber could have put Indiana squarely in championship-contender territory, even if the article makes clear the scenario was far more fantasy than negotiation. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Add Four Undrafted Prospects Worth Watching Closely
The Pacers kept their post-draft pipeline moving by formally bringing in four undrafted prospects on Exhibit 10 deals: Keba Keita, Rienk Mast, Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Jalen Warley. All four spent time with Indianas Summer League group, which gave the staff another extended look at players who are still trying to carve out a foothold after going undrafted in 2026.
For Indiana, the signing is as much about maintaining flexibility as it is about sorting out the back end of the roster. If any of the four are waived before the season, they could still be in line for bonuses by sticking with the Pacers G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, giving the organization a built-in way to keep tabs on developmental options without using a standard roster spot. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Offseason Suddenly Looks Thin For One Painful Reason
The Pacers and Jazz finished with similarly rough records last season, but the way their summers have unfolded has looked nothing alike. Utah landed a top-four pick, added Darryn Peterson and Jaren Jackson Jr., and stayed busy by re-signing Keyonte George and dealing Walker Kessler for future picks. Indiana, meanwhile, shipped its 2023 first-round pick to the Clippers in the Ivica Zubac trade, leaving the front office with far less maneuvering room as it tried to add around its core.
Indiana's quieter offseason has only sharpened the focus on Tyrese Haliburton and whether he can get back to the level the Pacers need. With fewer obvious reinforcements coming and the roster looking thinner than some of its peers, the burden of making this team look like a contender falls even more heavily on internal improvement. For a franchise that expected a more active summer, the gap between where the Pacers are and where they want to be feels especially stark. [Read more 🡒]