The NBA free agency period kicked off on Thursday evening- and then all hell broke loose in the NBA. A firestorm of max contracts, free agency deals and oh, a casual trade request from Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets ensued. Friday has brought much of the same, though the Boston Celtics were the ones making the headlines this time.
Out of the blue, the Celtics traded for Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, sending forwards Daniel Theis and Aaron Nesmith along with a 2023 first round pick to Indiana. Celtics reserves Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts and Juwan Morgan are also part of the package being sent to the Pacers.
It's a great deal for Boston, who was able to land the playmaking point guard that they reportedly coveted at a discount. While the return doesn't look great for the Pacers, they were able to land another first round pick while also freeing up cap space.
But how did each team really do? That's what we'll examine here when we hand out grades for the Celtics and Pacers in the Malcolm Brogdon trade.
Without further ado, let's get to it.
Celtics Grade: A
The Celtics could conceivably get an A+ for this trade, as it certainly looks like a Brad Stevens heist at first glance.
Boston was able to land a combo guard who can score off the ball and hand out six assists a night with the ball in his hands- and all it cost them was a reserve center, a 22-year-old forward who has played just 12.7 minutes per game in two seasons with Boston and a 2023 first round pick that figures to be a late selection in the NBA Draft.
The Celtics sent out Theis' $8.6 million salary and Nesmith's $3.8 million contract, though they are also taking in Brogdon's $22.6 million cap hit next season.
It means that Boston will have to pay a hefty amount in luxury tax fines, especially if they go ahead and use their TPE (traded player exception), which they earned in the Evan Fournier deal nearly a year ago.
That- and Brogdon's injury history- is enough to knock the Celtics down to an A, but no further than that. When healthy- like he was in the 2020-21 season, Brogdon is a knockdown three-point shooter who can score 20 points a night on or off the ball.
For a Celtics team that has the ball in the hands of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown often, that is invaluable. He's also an excellent free throw shooter, giving Boston another option to help close out games.
Given what Boston gave up, this is an excellent trade. A team that just advanced to the NBA Finals got even better.
Pacers Grade: C-
The Pacers underwhelmed with the return they got from the Celtics. Theis is a capable defender and a big who can space the floor a bit, though his contract is a bit too bloated. Nesmith, a former 14th overall pick in the 2022 draft, naturally didn't get a chance to show what he can do behind Tatum and Brown.
Will he even get the chance in Indiana behind Buddy Hield, Chris Duarte and rookie Bennedict Mathurin? Look, the Pacers are clearly rebuilding, but it would have been nice for them to at least acquire a core piece from Boston.
The one benefit of the trade from the Pacers standpoint is that they're now approximately $31 million under the cap, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. Indiana freed up a max slot with the deal, which is certainly an encouraging step for the future.
The Pacers are all-in on Tyrese Haliburton- as they should be- so moving Brogdon frees him up to be the primary ball-handler for this team. His injury history made him a bit overpaid, given that he's never played a full season.
Ultimately, the cons far outweigh the pros from the Pacers' side of things. That's why they receive low marks.
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