JULY 8, 1:30pm: The Pistons have officially locked up Smith, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1, 7:39am: Smith’s pact is for three years and $18MM, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter).
2:44am: The Pistons have reached an agreement on a three-year contract with free agent point guard Ish Smith, reports David Mayo of MLive.com (via Twitter). The financial terms of the deal, which can’t be finalized until next Thursday, aren’t yet known.
Smith, who turns 28 on Tuesday, has led a nomadic existence during his six NBA seasons so far, having played for multiple teams in five of his six seasons. In 2015/16, the Wake Forest alum played in 77 total games, including 50 (all starts) for the Sixers. During his time with Philadelphia last season, Smith averaged 14.7 points and 7.0 assists per contest, easily besting his career averages.
On Thursday, we heard that the 76ers had interest in retaining Smith, but in a backup role. Instead of returning to Philadelphia, however, it appears Smith will be headed to Detroit, where he’ll likely play behind Reggie Jackson at the point.
The Pistons’ backup point guard from this past season, Steve Blake, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and the team’s agreement with Smith is a strong signal that Blake won’t be back.
Bet he gets like 7-8 mil per woth the cap rise, which is crazy if you think about it. Awesome for him, with everything he has gone through
Considering how much he has traveled since entering the league, it must be nice to finally land a multiyear contact. Great for him and a great pickup by the Pistons, who address their backup PG spot right away. Smith penetrates defenses like few can with his speed and quickness.
Excellent signing. I’ll miss him here in Philly
Get the ish out of here… any ballpark whispers on contract details?
Is Jerry Colangelo now running the Pistons? Is that why they signed him?
Ish only looked good last year because sixers stink. He took 20 shots a game. Thrived in a run and gun offense with no talent around him. Bye bye ish. He will average 4 and 3 again next year
Only average that matters now is that $6 million AAV