The Los Angeles Lakers’ most recent 123-116 defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night dropped the team’s record to 46-30, though they continue to hang onto the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
LeBron James and Austin Reaves pulled out all the stops to make up for Luka Dončić’s struggles and the team’s lacking bench unit by combining for 64 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists and 14 makes from three-point range on 24 attempts. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to pull off a 16-point comeback win.
Los Angeles’ reserves scored just seven total points on the evening on 20% shooting from the floor, an abysmal night for a group meant to support two generational talents on the path to title contention.
As a result of their horrid bench performance, the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka will likely aim to bolster that unit this offseason either in free agency or by scouring the trade market.
If he were to pursue the latter, it’s plausible to believe that he could approach the Indiana Pacers with the idea of acquiring their surging young forward Aaron Nesmith in exchange for the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Dalton Knecht and their defensive-minded wing Jarred Vanderbilt.
At 25 years old, Nesmith could gather plenty of interest from potential trade suitors, as he’s enjoyed a marvelous 2024-25 campaign for the Pacers to this juncture.
“Aaron Nesmith is currently the only one player this season producing 50/40/90 shooting splits,” Forbes’ Evan Sidery shared via Twitter/X.
“Since being traded from the (Boston) Celtics to the Pacers in 2022, Nesmith has developed into one of the NBA’s most underrated wings.”
In his fifth NBA season, Nesmith’s rise to becoming one of the league’s most efficient players has been a spectacle to watch, as he’s shooting 50.4% from the field, 41.8% from distance and knocking down 92.4% of his chances at the charity stripe in 40 appearances. While his accuracy from all areas of the floor is astounding on its own, Nesmith has also shown promise as an athletic and strong defender on the perimeter.
As a prospective member of the Lakers in 2025-26, Nesmith would likely have a large impact on improving their reserve unit. When sharing the floor with James and Dončić he could also be the beneficiary of great skip passes and open looks from the corners, as he’s knocked down a blistering 47.0% of his looks from that spot on the floor.
Overall, his hypothetical introduction to their rotation under head coach JJ Redick might assist the team with rising through the ranks of important efficiency leaderboards, as the team currently ranks at No. 17 in the league with a collective 36.1% shooting clip from long-range.
With his reputation as a high-flying transition threat, energetic stopper and lights-out shooter, his potential arrival in Los Angeles would likely mark the beginning of a shift in Western Conference championship odds for next season and beyond.
