Atlantic Notes: Rajakovic, Smith, McBride, Lidell
This season will mark the first time Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic has a chance to compete for a playoff spot, and he deserves credit for helping the team get to this point, Michael Grange writes for Sportsnet.
Toronto won 30 games last season and had the NBA’s 25th-best defense, Grange notes, while they’re up to 44 wins and rank sixth defensively this season, with three games still to go. The team currently sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with a one-game lead on the Sixers and Magic, and a 1.5-game lead over the Hornets entering Wednesday’s slate of games.
“This is what you sign up for,” Rajakovic said. “It’s very, very exciting … the path that we had the past two years and this in my third year of coaching here to be in a position to plan, to fight for something, to fight for the playoffs, to fight for seeding, it’s all very, very meaningful.”
While the on-court numbers and results have been moving in the right direction, backup big Sandro Mamukelashvili also vouched for his head coach’s ability to connect with the team on a personal level.
“You go through things mentally, physically … (and) his office is always open, so it’s easy to step in there,” Mamukelashvili said. “A lot of head coaches are a little bit unapproachable, so just having the freedom to step in there and tell him what I feel and what I think I can do, where do I see myself, where does he see me? … I think that helps you through the long run.”
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Malachi Smith‘s work for the Nets recently paid off as he was rewarded with a two-year deal. Now, after a start-and-stop beginning of his NBA career, partially as a result of injuries, he’s ready to take the next step, CJ Holmes writes for the New York Daily News. “I just always was like, I know I can do this,” Smith said. “I just have to be healthy to play.“
- E.J. Liddell had a career night on Tuesday, scoring 21 points in his second start of the season to power the Nets past the Bucks. While that marked a milestone for the 25-year-old forward, it also represented a minor blow to Brooklyn’s lottery position, as it moved the Jazz and Kings both a half-game away from seizing the third-worst record, and with it, the last available 14% chance at landing the top pick, Holmes writes. The Nets have three games left in the season, including a matchup with the 18-61 Pacers, while the Kings have just two games left against teams looking to improve their postseason standing in the Blazers and Warriors.
- Knicks guard Miles McBride had a scare in his return from a lengthy absence due to core muscle surgery when he tweaked the injury in his first game back, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. However, he said he had been warned this kind of reaggravation could happen. “It’s really just a part of the recovery process,” he said. “Basically everything was tightened, and now I’m back to moving around, so it’s just part of it.” New York’s key reserve guard is taking a patient approach to his ramp-up, knowing that the process of making sure he’s at his best for the playoffs will be slower than he’d like.
Nets Sign Malachi Smith To Two-Year Contract
3:00 pm: Smith’s contract is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
9:49 am: Malachi Smith‘s second 10-day contract with the Nets expired overnight on Friday, but he’ll be sticking with the team for the rest of the season — and potentially beyond that.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), the Nets and Smith have agreed to a two-year contract that will cover 2026/27 in addition to the rest of this season. While the exact terms of the deal aren’t yet known, it’s unlikely to include guaranteed money for next year.
A G League veteran who has also spent time with the Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd and Memphis Hustle since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, Smith spent most of this season with the Long Island Nets before being called up by Brooklyn on a 10-day deal in March.
The 6’4″ guard ended up signing a pair of 10-day deals with the Nets and has been a regular contributor off the bench in the first 10 NBA games of his career, averaging 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 18.2 minutes per night, with an excellent shooting line of .527/.545/1.000. The 26-year-old has made 29-of-55 shots from the floor, including 12-of-22 three-pointers.
“The mentality is leave it all on the floor,” Smith said after scoring 15 points against Atlanta on Friday (Facebook video link via YES Network) “I’m someone that has been praying for this opportunity and working for this opportunity for years, so I’m not going to take any minute for granted. I always tell myself, I don’t care if I get one minute or 10 minutes. I’m going to be able to go to sleep at night knowing I played as hard as I can, and whatever happens after that, I can live with the results.”
Although the Nets technically already have 15 players on standard contracts, one of those 15 – Tre Scott – is on a hardship 10-day deal, so Brooklyn will be able to bring back Smith without having to place anyone on waivers.
Smith, who signed a training camp contract that included a $42,650 partial guarantee and then made $73,153 on each of his two 10-day contracts, would earn a rest-of-season salary of $65,838 if he officially signs a new minimum-salary contract on Saturday, bringing his total NBA earnings this season to $254,794.
That total would dip to $247,479 (including a $58,523 rest-of-season salary) if he doesn’t re-sign until Sunday, though it could also come in higher if the Nets – who have the NBA’s lowest payroll – decide to give him more than the minimum using their remaining cap room.
Nets Sign Malachi Smith To Second 10-Day Deal
11:00 am: The Nets have officially signed Smith to a second 10-day contract, the team confirmed in a press release.
8:32 am: The Nets have agreed to re-sign guard Malachi Smith to a second 10-day contract following the expiration of his initial 10-day deal on Monday night, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Smith, who had been playing for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, appeared in six games during his first 10 days with the NBA team, averaging 6.2 points, 2.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 19.5 minutes per contest. The 26-year-old made 15-of-30 shots from the floor (50%), including 5-of-10 three-pointers.
A G League veteran who has also spent time with the Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd and Memphis Hustle since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, Smith hadn’t appeared in an NBA regular season game until he suited up for the Nets on March 14 in Philadelphia.
The Nets haven’t made a roster move since Smith’s first 10-day contract expired on Monday night, so he’ll simply slot back into the open spot on the 15-man roster that he previously occupied. If Brooklyn wants to hang onto him beyond this second 10-day deal, it will require a rest-of-season or multiyear commitment, since a player can’t sign three 10-days with the same team.
Assuming Smith’s 10-day deal is officially finalized on Wednesday, it will cover the Nets’ next five games, running through next Friday (April 3). He’ll earn another $73,153 over the course of those 10 days, bringing his total NBA earnings for the season to $188,956 — that figure includes his two 10-day contracts ($73,153 apiece) and the $42,650 partial guarantee he received when he signed a camp contract with Brooklyn last fall.
Nets Notes: Fernandez, M. Smith, MPJ, Claxton, Clowney
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez is showing a commitment to tanking that he didn’t have earlier in the season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post, but all his players might not be on board. With Noah Clowney, Terance Mann and Ziaire Williams sitting out the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon, a makeshift lineup erased a 21-point deficit against Philadelphia and briefly took the lead before Brooklyn fell to its third straight loss.
Lewis notes that Fernandez rested Clowney and Nic Claxton during the fourth quarter of a close game Thursday in Atlanta, and the coach seems more focused on evaluating his young talent over the last month of the season than trying to win games.
“It was great. We have young guys, rookies playing in the fourth quarter and getting a lot of experience. We have these guys that we need to know what we’ve got, playing high level to win a game,” Fernandez said of Saturday’s rally. “Playing competitive minutes is way better than just playing minutes. And this was great.”
Rookie big man Danny Wolf, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, was the only rotation member to play more than three minutes in the final quarter. Most of the damage was done by Josh Minott and two-way players E.J. Liddell and Chaney Johnson, along with Malachi Smith, who signed a 10-day contract Saturday morning.
There’s more on the Nets:
- The game marked Smith’s NBA debut at age 26 after nearly three years in the G League, and he was thrilled that his mother and stepfather flew to Philadelphia to watch it, Lewis states in the same piece. “It was a dream come true,” he said. “Single parent, had me at 20, driving 12 hours for AAU trips and six hours to watch me play in college. So she was like, ‘I’m not going to miss this.’” Smith played 23 minutes and posted four points, three rebounds and one assist.
- Michael Porter Jr. sat out the game with an ankle sprain, and Fernandez indicated that playing without Porter might become a more frequent occurrence, Lewis adds. “By the rules, he’ll rest whatever he [needs to] rest. Now he’s out with that ankle sprain. So whenever it’s back, we’ll figure that out,” Fernandez said. “And if we have to give looks to these other guys because we want to see what’s going on — what we have and the plan we want to put in the future — this is going to be very important for us.”
- In a pregame session with reporters, Fernandez clarified that there were no injury issues involved in his decision to keep Claxton and Clowney on the bench for the final quarter in Atlanta, Lewis tweets. “They’re both good,” he said. “It goes back to seeing guys that haven’t had a chance to play those minutes, because it gives me a better sense of who they are as players and what can I see as they develop.”
Nets Add Malachi Smith On 10-Day Deal
March 14: Smith’s 10-day contract is official, per the Nets.
March 13: Malachi Smith has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Nets, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The 26-year-old guard has been playing for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, where he’s averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 52% from the field and 42% from three-point range.
Smith signed with the Nets in mid-October after the team acquired his G League rights in a trade and was waived a day later. He received a $42,650 partial guarantee in his contract, which helped Brooklyn reach the minimum salary floor.
Smith is a G League veteran who has also spent time with the Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd and Memphis Hustle since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. He signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Portland in 2023, but has yet to appear in an NBA game.
The Nets have an open roster spot after Grant Nelson‘s 10-day contract expired on Sunday. They decided not to re-sign the rookie forward even though coach Jordi Fernandez was complimentary of his effort.
With no NBA experience, Smith will earn $73,153 during the 10-day contract. If the deal becomes official on Saturday, he will be eligible to appear in six games before it expires.
Hawks’ Smith, Nuggets’ Akinjo, Nets’ Smith Waived
A trio of camp invitees around the league have been waived, according to the NBA.com transaction log: Deivon Smith (Hawks), Malachi Smith (Nets), and James Akinjo (Nuggets).
Deivon Smith was a five-year college player who started his career at Mississippi State and ended it at St. John’s. A 6’1″ guard, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.9 assists for St. John’s after transferring from Utah.
Akinjo is also a 6’1″ guard. He played for Georgetown for two seasons, then Arizona, before playing his senior season at Baylor, where he averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He played last season with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League, averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.2 APG on 41.3% shooting from three.
Malachi Smith signed his deal with the Nets on Tuesday. He has been a G League mainstay since going undrafted in 2023, playing last season for the Grizzlies’ affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter) that Smith got a $42,650 partial guarantee in his deal, which was designed to help the Nets stay over the minimum salary floor.
All three players are likely to report their teams’ G League affiliates. Deivon Smith and Akinjo would earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $25,00 and $85,300, respectively, if they spend at least 60 days in the NBAGL.
Nets Sign Malachi Smith
The Nets have signed free agent guard Malachi Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
Smith, 25, has been playing in the G League since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. He was with the Rip City Remix and Wisconsin Herd during his rookie year and spent the 2024/25 campaign with the Memphis Hustle, appearing in 46 total games for the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate.
Smith averaged 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 25.3 minutes per game for the Hustle last season, making 50.1% of his shots from the field, including 34.7% from beyond the three-point line.
The Long Island Nets acquired Smith’s returning rights from Memphis last month, so it’s a pretty safe bet that the plan is for him to be waived in the coming days and then report to Long Island for the G League season. He’ll likely receive a small partial guarantee as part of the arrangement.
While most players who are ticketed for their teams’ NBAGL affiliates sign Exhibit 10 contracts, the Nets have been structuring their deals a little differently this fall since they don’t mind having the bonuses they pay those players count against their cap as they look to reach the NBA’s minimum salary floor. Exhibit 10 bonuses don’t carry a cap hit, but partial guarantees do.
For instance, as Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, when signing with the Nets on Monday, Tre Scott received a standard contract with a $45K partial guarantee, while Terry Roberts got a $25K partial guarantee on his standard deal. Both Scott and Roberts were waived today, per Lewis, but those partial guarantees will continue to count against Brooklyn’s cap.
And-Ones: 2025 Draft Big Board, Tanking, NBAGL Trade
Now through June 2025, writers across the globe will eagerly anticipate an exciting upcoming draft class headlined by Duke forward Cooper Flagg, alongside other top talents. Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN recently paired to provide an early look at the top 100 prospects before the college season tips off (Insider link).
Flagg ranked first, but Rutgers guards Ace Bailey (No. 2) and Dylan Harper (No. 3) aren’t far behind. Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe (No. 4) and France’s Nolan Traore (No. 5) remain among the top options as well, while Duke’s Kon Knueppel (No. 6) is an early riser after an impressive offseason and preseason.
UNC’s Drake Powell, Duke’s Khaman Maluach, Spanish guard Hugo Gonzalez and UConn’s Liam McNeeley round out the remainder of the top 10.
Collin Murray-Boyles is the draft’s highest-ranked returner after making the decision to come back to South Carolina, with the ESPN duo ranking him at 12.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The top five of Sam Vecenie’s recent mock draft for The Athletic matches ESPN’s big board to a tee, with Brooklyn being slated to be the ones to land Flagg’s services in June’s draft. However, Vecenie’s mock draft deviates from there, with Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis coming off the board at No. 6 due to his ball and scoring skills. Vecenie mocks Georgia’s Asa Newell to the Hornets at No. 7 and Ratiopharm Ulm’s Ben Saraf at No. 8 to the Raptors, while ESPN has those players at No. 31 and No. 16, respectively.
- With such a talented draft class on deck, The Athletic’s John Hollinger suspects teams will return to tanking in 2024/25. While some teams greatly underperformed in 2023/24, as in any year, there wasn’t as much incentive to lose since there wasn’t a consensus top pick like in next year’s draft. Hollinger likens the 2025 class to the 2018 class that produced the likes of Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson and Trae Young in terms of the depth of talent. Hollinger’s story addresses this, but I’d contend that while teams may be blown away by the talent of the 2025 class, the Hawks had a better record than nine teams but still landed the No. 1 overall pick. Meanwhile, the Pistons had their worst season in franchise history but didn’t pick until No. 5.
- The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate, executed a six-team trade on Wednesday, per the team (Twitter link). Several picks swapped hands, but for simplicity’s sake, we’ll focus on the player rights that were moved. The Vipers acquired the returning player rights to Jermaine Samuels, who is currently in camp with the Rockets. The Valley Suns acquired Cassius Stanley‘s rights, the Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers) received Dakota Mathias‘s rights, the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies) got both Malachi Smith and Devin Cannady‘s rights, the Mexico City Capitanes obtained Loudon Love, and Gary Clark‘s rights were re-routed to the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks). Mathias was already signed and waived by the Pacers, so this is an indication he’ll play for the Mad Ants this season as an affiliate player. It remains to be seen whether Stanley, Smith, Cannady or Clark will sign camp deals to be later waived and set up as affiliates. The Capitanes aren’t an NBA team’s direct affiliate, so while Love could still sign anywhere as an NBA free agent, his rights being moved aren’t directly correlated with him potentially being an affiliate player.
Blazers Sign George Conditt, Waive Two Players
2:23pm: In a press release officially confirming the signing of Conditt and the release of Smith, the Trail Blazers announced that they’ve also waived guard Antoine Davis. Like Smith, Davis is a good bet to end up with the Rip City Remix in the G League.
7:42am: Ahead of their preseason opener, the Trail Blazers have made a minor change to their roster, waiving guard Malachi Smith and signing forward/center George Conditt IV, per RealGM’s transaction log. Portland still has a full 21-man preseason roster after completing the pair of moves.
Smith, who went undrafted out of Gonzaga in June after being named the WCC’s Sixth Man of the Year, quickly reached an agreement with the Blazers and then officially signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the team last week ahead of the start of training camp.
Following a brief stint with the Blazers, Smith appears likely to report to the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Remix, he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus, which can be worth up to $75K.
As for Conditt, his Exhibit 10 agreement with the Blazers was reported a month ago. The big man, who went undrafted out of Iowa State in 2022, played for teams in Puerto Rico and Greece in his first professional season.
Conditt subsequently suited up for Puerto Rico in this year’s World Cup. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 30.6 minutes per night (five games) for the Puerto Rican team in the tournament.
Conditt appears likely to follow Smith’s trajectory and land with the Remix, but his non-guaranteed deal could also be converted into a two-way contract or a standard contract if he impresses during the preseason.
Blazers Add Knox, Reath, Smith, Davis, Minaya
The Trail Blazers officially signed Kevin Knox, Duop Reath, Malachi Smith, Antoine Davis and Justin Minaya, according to a team press release announcing the training camp roster.
Knox agreed to a one-year deal in early September. The 24-year-old forward became an unrestricted free agent after Portland declined to pick up his $3MM option for the upcoming season.
Knox began last season with the Pistons, but was sent to Portland in a four-team deal at the trade deadline. He appeared in 21 games with the Blazers, averaging 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per night.
Reath also agreed to a one-year contract in September. He played for Portland’s Summer League team, averaging 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games, and started for Australia during the World Cup. He has played overseas since going undrafted out of LSU in 2018, spending time in Serbia, Australia and China.
Smith and Davis agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts after going undrafted in June. Smith, a shooting guard, was named WCC Sixth Man of the Year this season after averaging 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 37 games with Gonzaga. He played one season for the Zags after transferring from Chattanooga.
Davis, a guard, finished his career at Detroit Mercy as the second all-time leading scorer in Division I history. He capped off his college career by averaging 28.2 PPG last season.
The addition of Minaya was not previously reported. A 6’7” forward, he finished last season with Portland on a hardship 10-day contract. Minaya went undrafted out of Providence in 2022 and spent most of his first professional season playing for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League. In 27 NBAGL regular season appearances (35.1 MPG), he averaged 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.1 steals with a shooting line of .487/.339/.472.
Portland now has a full 21-man squad.