On October 1, 2023, the Boston Celtics made a trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Portland Trail Blazers in a package for Jrue Holiday.
This was just a little over one year after the Celtics acquired Brogdon from the Indiana Pacers.
In 2022, Brogdon was coming off a season in which he only played 36 games for the Pacers. Even so, Brogdon was the team’s highest scorer averaging 19.1 points per game while shooting 44.8% from the field.
Additionally, Brogdon averaged 5.1 rebounds per game and 5.9 assists per game during the 2021-22 season.
With the Celtics having shipped Brogdon out and officially ending his tenure with the team, it may be worth revisiting the trade that sent the guard to Boston in the first place.
Boston Celtics Trade Throwback #7: Malcolm Brogdon Joins the Squad
Full Trade Details
Boston Celtics receive: Malcolm Brogdon
Indiana Pacers receive: Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, Daniel Theis, and a 2023 first-round pick (later became Julian Strawther)
Why The Boston Celtics Made the Trade for Malcolm Brogdon
The Celtics were coming off a season in which they made their first NBA Finals appearance in over a decade.
After losing the series in six games to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics wanted to beef up their roster to get over the hump.
One big weakness that showed during the Celtics’ Finals run was their lack of consistent scorers next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
An obvious fit at the time was Brogdon–someone who could give the team immediate scoring contributions.
The Celtics had Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard in the point guard rotation during the 2021-22 season.
Although all three of these players had their moments offensively, none of them were consistent scorers at the time.
The idea of Brogdon was enticing mostly for this reason. However, his overall offensive abilities were another reason for the Celtics to show interest in him.
As for the players the Celtics shipped out to Indiana, they were all bench players at best for the team.
That said, Nesmith was only 22 years old at the time of the trade. Plus, he looked like he could mold into an offensive contributor for the team. Trading him was a little controversial because of this.
However, the team had too many wing players in rotation at the time, meaning Nesmith was unlikely to get regular playing time anytime soon for the Celtics. Trading him alongside less significant bench pieces for Brogdon, a then career 15.5 point per game scorer, was a no-brainer.
Why Did the Pacers Trade Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics?
The Pacers were in a rebuilding stage after finishing 25-57 in 2022.
Because of this, Brogdon was looking to play for a different team.
More specifically, he wanted to play for a title contender.
Though he was sent to the Celtics by trade, Brogdon himself selected Boston as his preferred destination.
From a basketball perspective, the trade made sense for the Pacers to make way for Tyrese Haliburton, the guard they acquired in a mid-season trade with the Sacramento Kings.
Haliburton was only 21 years old when the Pacers acquired him, but he was already written in as a future NBA star. Trading Brogdon away allowed Haliburton to fully take the reigns in Indiana’s backcourt.
Plus, Brogdon’s injury history proved to be an issue for the Pacers.
The former Rookie of the Year only played in just 63.2% of the games he was eligible for during his three-year stay in Indiana.
Additionally, Brogdon’s $21.7 million was the second-highest on the team’s payroll behind Buddy Hield‘s $22.5 million salary.
Keeping Brogdon on a rebuilding team at the time simply did not make sense for either side.
Aftermath of the Malcolm Brogdon Trade
Boston Celtics
The Celtics finished the 2022-23 season with a 57-25 record. This record was good enough for the No. 2 seed behind the Bucks.
Boston finished the season as the only team in the league with a top-five finish in both offensive and defensive ratings.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games.
The Celtics then defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the second round before losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. This series also ended in seven games.
Malcolm Brogdon
In the season immediately following his trade to the Boston Celtics, Brogdon played in 67 games and came off the bench for each game.
En route to a Sixth Man of the Year award, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game on 48.4 FG%. Brogdon also shot 44.4% from the three-point line–the fourth-highest percentage in the league on the season.
Brogdon’s best game with the Celtics, funny enough, was against the Pacers. In a 142-138 win, Brogdon scored 24 points on 75 FG% and 60 3pt%. Additionally, Brogdon recorded seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
Overall, Brogdon was impressive during the postseason as well.
However, an arm injury suffered during the Eastern Conference Finals forced Brogdon to play limited minutes in Games 3, 4, 5, and 7 and miss Game 6 entirely.
Brogdon played in 19 games during the postseason and averaged 11.9 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 2.5 assists per game. The Virginia native’s efficiency took a hit, as he shot 41.8% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc.
This past offseason, the Celtics had agreed to a three-team trade that would have sent Brogdon to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.
Due to Brogdon’s injury, the Clippers backed out. The Celtics pivoted and shipped starting point guard Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies instead.
Reports came out towards the end of the offseason suggesting that Brogdon was unhappy in Boston because of this as well as how the team handled his injury.
Although GM Brad Stevens acknowledged they had worked this out, the Boston Celtics made a trade to send Brogdon to the Trail Blazers two days before training camp started.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers finished the season with a 35-47 record in Rick Carlisle’s second year as their head coach.
Despite the team missing the playoffs, it was not all bad for the Pacers.
Haliburton was selected to his first ever All-Star game in 2023, and Benedict Mathurin was selected to the All-Rookie First Team.
In the offseason, the Pacers extended Haliburton to a five-year max contract worth up to $260 million.
The future looks bright in Indiana. And as it is, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see this team in the playoffs this upcoming season.
Aaron Nesmith
Nesmith saw the most playing time of his career immediately upon joining the Pacers.
In 73 total games, Nesmith was a starter for 60 of them. Plus, his minutes per game more than doubled from the previous year (11 MPG to 24.9 MPG).
Nesmith averaged 10.1 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. The Vanderbilt alum’s three-point shooting was also solid at 36.6%.
As it stands, Nesmith looks like he will probably be a starter for the Pacers for the immediate future. Plus, at just 24 years old, Nesmith has plenty of time to further develop and become a long-term contributor for the Pacers.
Daniel Theis
Theis played in just seven games during the 2022-23 season with the Pacers after the trade from the Boston Celtics.
In those games, Theis averaged 7 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game. Theis’ three-point shooting was also abysmal as he shot 18.2% from beyond the arc.
The Pacers have a team option on Theis’ contract for the 2024-25 season. At this point, Theis is likely to remain out of the team’s rotation. It is tough to imagine the Pacers picking up his $9.5 million contract unless they value his mentorship.
On the bright side for Theis, he helped Germany win the 2023 FIBA World Cup. This was their first title in the tournament’s history.
Nik Stauskas
The Pacers waived Stauskas on July 14, 2022.
Stauskas is not currently a part of an NBA organization.
Juwan Morgan
The Pacers also waived Morgan on July 14, 2022.
Later in the year, the Clippers signed Morgan before releasing him a few weeks later.
This past September, Morgan signed with Runa Basket Moscow of the VTB United League.
Malik Fitts
Not to sound like a broken record, but the Pacers released Fitts on July 14, 2022 as well.
In October 2022, Fitts joined the Clippers’ G League affiliate, the Ontario Clippers.
As of October 2023, Fitts is still a part of the team.
Malcolm Brogdon Trade to the Boston Celtics: Verdict
In a nutshell, this trade became one year of Brogdon to the Boston Celtics for likely a couple years of Nesmith and Theis’s mentorship to the Indiana Pacers.
If we want to get intricate and talk about how acquiring Brogdon helped the team get Holiday a year later, then by all means the Celtics walk away as winners in this deal without a second thought.
However, if we are talking about the direct trade for what it was, it becomes a little more even.
Unless Nesmith develops into an All-Star talent, he likely will not be as valuable to the Pacers as Brogdon was to the Celtics for one year. Brogdon did everything that was asked for him in Boston, and he was certainly good enough to be a starter at some points for the team.
However, it is important to remember that Brogdon’s Celtics career lasted one season and did not help the team win a championship in 2023. At the same time, Nesmith’s career trajectory looks to be on the rise in Indiana.
It is too early to give a clear-cut winner for this trade. However, Brogdon did more for the Celtics in one season than Nesmith did for the team in two. Plus, Nesmith looks like a decent player but not special enough that should make the Celtics regret letting him go in the trade.
For this reason alone, the slight edge goes to the Boston Celtics as the winners of this trade.
