Former Boston Celtics lottery pick Aaron Nesmith saved the Indiana Pacers in regulation in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks. When it seemed like the game was over, Nesmith put the Pacers on his back and helped stage a comeback.
Nesmith hit six three-pointers in the final three minutes and 14 seconds, along with two clutch free throws, to push the game to overtime, where the Pacers went on to win, 138-135. Nesmith didn't score again in overtime, but the Pacers would not have gotten there without him.
Because of Nesmith's heroic efforts in the fourth quarter, there was an outcry from Celtics fans for electing to trade him when they did.
"The Celtics traded Nesmith," one fan wrote.
"How did the Celtics let go of Nesmith mannnnn," another asked.
Others called out for the Celtics for letting the former lottery pick go for seemingly nothing.
"So I feel like it’s safe to say the celtics shouldn’t have let go of Nesmith so easily," said another.
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
© Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Another wrote, "Friendly reminder that the Celtics let go of Aaron Nesmith for basically nothing"
Another Celtics fan stated his belief that Nesmith would have helped their playoff chances, writing, "Maybe if the Celtics kept nesmith they wouldn't have shot so poorly for 2 consecutive game."
For context, two years after the Celtics drafted Nesmith with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, they traded him to the Indiana Pacers in a package for Malcolm Brogdon. The following year, they traded Brogdon along with Robert Williams III for Jrue Holiday.
Without Holiday, the Celtics don't win the title in 2024, so by proxy, trading Nesmith led to Boston winning Banner 18. All in all, it may go down as a trade where both teams won in the end.