The Pacers have agreed to change veteran scout Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The deal will send center Daniel Theis, wing Aaron Nesmith and a 2023 first-round pick to Indiana, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts and Juwan Morgan are also targeting the Pacers in the exchange, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
The Celtics wanted to acquire a “true game guard,” Wojnarowski explains (via Twitter), and they were able to do so without including any of their top players in the package. Brogdon has struggled with injuries frequently throughout his six-year career, but has been effective at both ends of the track when he is healthy.
In 2021/22, the 29-year-old averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.9 APG and 5.1 RPG in 36 games (33.5 MPG) for the Pacers. Brogdon’s three-point percentage dropped to 31.2% last season, but he’s still a 37.6% career shooter from beyond the arc.
Although Brogdon’s name has appeared frequently in commercial rumors this offseason, he was primarily associated with the Wizards and Knicks in the weeks leading up to the draft. Washington tackled its base hole by agreeing to acquire Monte Morris and sign Delon Wright, while New York landed Jalen Brunson on free agency. This opened the door to another Eastern Conference club to reach an agreement with the Pacers.
Brogdon will earn $ 67.6 million over the next three seasons, including $ 22.6 million in 2022/23. To equalize their salary and legalize trade, the Celtics will have to include five players in their package: the most expensive of those players, Theis, will earn $ 8.69 million next season, while Nesmith will earn 3.8 millions of dollars. Stauskas, Fitts and Morgan had unsecured minimum wage contracts, which will be guaranteed for matching purposes, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
The Celtics, who also agreed to sign Danilo Gallinari, now have about $ 167.5 million committed to 11 players, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link), so team ownership doesn’t seem concerned to pay a tax bill in 2022./23. Depending on the depth of the tax Boston is willing to enter, the club could also make use of its $ 17 million commercial exception, which will not be used in this deal.
Meanwhile, the Pacers had an interest in Grant Williams, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), but were finally willing to accept a 2023 Celtics first-round selection that could come in the late 20s.
Indiana may also see value in Theis and Nesmith, but the deal is more about the first-round player and the flexibility of the boundary that will move him out of Brogdon. In addition to clearing some long-term money, the Pacers now have about $ 31 million in a capped space scheduled for this summer, Marks tweets.
The two teams will have to wait until July 9 to officially complete the exchange, Marks points out (via Twitter), as Morgan will not be able to deal with it until then.