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.
Malachi Smith, Antoine Davis Joining Trail Blazers On Exhibit 10 Deals
Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Trail Blazers, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The 23-year-old 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 the Zags. The fifth-year senior played one season for Gonzaga after transferring from Chattanooga.
Detroit-Mercy’s Antoine Davis will also get an Exhibit 10 deal with Portland, according to Charania (Twitter link). The 24-year-old guard was a huge scorer in all five seasons he spent with the Titans, and he capped off his college career by averaging 28.2 PPG this year.
Exhibit 10 contracts give players the opportunity to earn a $75K bonus by spending 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate if they’re waived before the start of the season. The Blazers announced the formation of their new G League team in April.
Draft Notes: Ausar Thompson, Nnaji, Hornets, Hawks, Wizards
Ausar Thompson pulled out of a scheduled workout with the Pacers on Friday, according to an Indianapolis Star story. No official reason was given, but it’s possible that the Overtime Elite star has received information that he’s likely to be selected before Indiana picks at No. 7. The article also suggests that Thompson may prefer to be drafted by a team picking later in the lottery.
The canceled workout doesn’t mean the Pacers wouldn’t consider Thompson if he’s still on the board, as he would provide a defensive boost to a team that ranked 29th in that category this season. The Star story notes that president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is looking for a player with a “high ceiling” in the draft, and Thompson appears to fit that description.
Indiana holds five picks and has brought in more than 60 players during the pre-draft process. Most have been in group sessions, but projected lottery picks such as Thompson have been given individual workouts. The Pacers have already hosted Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Houston’s Jarace Walker, Central Florida’s Taylor Hendricks and Kansas’ Gradey Dick.
There’s more on the draft:
- NBA teams received official measurements today for Nigerian center James Nnaji, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The potential first-round pick stands 7’0″ in shoes with a 7’7″wingspan and a 9’4″ standing reach.
- The Hornets held two more six-players workouts this week. TCU’s Damion Baugh, Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson, G League Ignite’s Mojave King, Brazil’s Marcio Santos, Nebraska’s Derrick Walker and San Diego’s Eric Williams Jr. were in Charlotte on Thursday (Twitter link), followed by Memphis’ Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Maryland’s Donald Carey, Arkansas State’s Markise Davis, Texas A&M’s Dexter Dennis, Fresno State’s Isaih Moore and Washington State’s Justin Powell on Friday (press release).
- The Hawks welcomed six players on Friday, tweets Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Santos was part of that group as well, along with Western Kentucky’s Emmanuel Akot, UCLA’s Amari Bailey, San Jose State’s Omari Moore, DePaul’s Nick Ongenda and Furman’s Jalen Slawson.
- The Wizards held a workout on Saturday, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, bringing in Akot, along with Virginia’s Jayden Gardner, Overtime Elite’s Bryce Griggs, North Carolina-Central’s Brendan Medley-Bacon, Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith and Kentucky’s Jacob Toppin.