Zhaire Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

G League Notes: K. Brown, Nets, Djurisic, Pacers, Cavs, Suns

October 27th, 2024 at 7:48pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by Indiana’s NBA team earlier this month, Kendall Brown won’t suit up for the Pacers‘ G League squad this season either. The Long Island Nets announced in a press release on Saturday that they’ve acquired Brown’s returning rights from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to guard Au’Diese Toney, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 first-rounder.

Brown was the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft, but played sparingly in his first two professional seasons with the Pacers, appearing in just 21 games and logging 103 total minutes at the NBA level. The 6’7″ swingman had a far more substantial role in the G League, where he put up 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 34.1 minutes per contest across 36 total outings for the Mad Ants last season.

Brown is one of several players with NBA experience who is part of Long Island’s training camp roster, which the team announced on Sunday (via Twitter). That group of former NBA players also includes A.J. Lawson, Amari Bailey, Colin Castleton, and former NBA lottery pick Killian Hayes.

Here are a few more notes from around the G League:

As expected, Hawks forward Nikola Djurisic, the No. 43 overall pick in this year’s draft, signed a G League contract and will open the season with the College Park Skyhawks while he recovers from offseason foot surgery. He said during Sunday’s media day that he’s started doing on-court work but isn’t taking contact yet and is still doing 1-on-0 drills, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com. Atlanta will continue to control Djurisic’s NBA rights, so he’s essentially a draft-and-stash player who’s playing domestically rather than in a league overseas.
The Indiana Mad Ants formally announced their training camp roster on Sunday (via Twitter). The Pacers‘ G League affiliate includes former NBA players like swingman Dakota Mathias, forward Cameron McGriff, and former No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor.
The Cleveland Charge (the Cavaliers‘ affiliate) has officially announced its coaching staff and its training camp roster for the coming season. First-year head coach Chris Darnell will lead a group that includes former NBAers Jacob Gilyard, Chandler Hutchison, and Zhaire Smith, among others.
Veteran NBA forward Mamadi Diakite and former second-round pick Cassius Stanley are among the headliners on the first training camp roster announced (via Twitter) by the Valley Suns, who are embarking upon their first year in the G League.

Bucks’ Terence Davis, Cavs’ Zhaire Smith Waived

October 15th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have waived guard Terence Davis, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.

Davis was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract on Oct. 3. He played three G League games last season with the Rip City Remix and then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Davis faced long odds trying to make the Bucks’ roster and now he’ll likely return to the G League. As Nehm points out, the Wisconsin Herd acquired his returning player rights earlier this month.

Davis, 27, last played in the NBA for Sacramento in 2022/23, averaging 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 64 games. He began his NBA career in Toronto in 2019 and was dealt to the Kings at the 2021 trade deadline.

If Davis spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, he’ll be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K.

In another waiver move involving a Central Division team, the Cavaliers have waived Zhaire Smith, according to the NBA transactions log.

Smith signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Cleveland late last month. The former No. 16 overall pick spent most of last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League, briefly earning an NBA call-up on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in February.

In 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate, the 6’4″ guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest. Like Davis, he’ll be eligible for a bonus up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Charge.

Cavaliers Sign Jacob Gilyard, Zhaire Smith

September 25th, 2024 at 7:14am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 25: Gilyard and Smith have each officially signed with the Cavs, per RealGM’s transaction log.

Having cut Tomlin and Osabuohien on Tuesday, Cleveland is back up to 21 players under contract, with Nance’s deal now official too.

SEPTEMBER 24: Free agent guards Jacob Gilyard and Zhaire Smith are signing Exhibit 10 contracts with the Cavaliers, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

Gilyard, 26, spent last season on two-way deals with the Grizzlies and Nets, appearing in a total of 41 games for the two teams. The 5’9″ point guard held his own in a rotation role for Memphis, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 assists with a .425 3PT% in 17.7 minutes per game across 37 outings (14 starts).

However, two-way players can’t be active for more than 50 NBA games, so with Gilyard just about at that limit, the Grizzlies opted to waive him rather than promote him, putting him on track to finish the season in Brooklyn. He became an unrestricted free agent this summer after the Nets opted not to tender him a two-way qualifying offer.

As for Smith, the former No. 16 overall pick spent most of last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League, briefly earning an NBA call-up on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in February. In 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate, the 6’4″ guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest, posting an impressive shooting line of .539/.394/.836.

Since Cleveland controls Smith’s G League returning rights and recently acquired Gilyard’s rights in a trade with the Memphis Hustle, the plan will likely be for both players to report back to the Charge this fall. Their Exhibit 10 contracts will make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K as long as they spend at least 60 days with the Cavs’ G League team.

According to Fedor, before they’re waived, Gilyard and Smith will get the opportunity to attend training camp with the Cavs along with fellow invitees Pete Nance and Jules Bernard. A report on Monday indicated that those two players, along with Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Gabe Osabuohien, had agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with Cleveland. Fedor confirms that reporting, but says Tomlin and Osabuohien are expected to be waived before camp begins.

The Cavs’ deals with Bernard, Tomlin, and Osabuohien are now official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

The Cavs are already carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so they’ll be at the 21-man limit once their back-of-the-roster transactions are complete.

Cavaliers Sign Zhaire Smith To 10-Day Contract

February 11th, 2024 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have signed swingman Zhaire Smith to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

The 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Smith has been playing this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate. In 32 regular season and Showcase Cup games with the Charge, the 24-year-old has averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .543/.404/.796.

This season has represented a major comeback effort for Smith, who battled health issues after going pro and was limited to 13 regular season appearances in two NBA seasons with the Sixers. He was traded during the 2020 offseason to the Pistons, who subsequently waived him. Prior to signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers during the 2023 offseason, the Texas Tech standout hadn’t been on an NBA roster since 2020.

In addition to battling foot and knee issues, Smith also dealt with a life-threatening allergic reaction earlier in his career, which he has said resulted in a month-and-a-half stay in a hospital and a 60-pound weight loss.

“Just not be able to play the game made me hungry and motivated because I missed it so much,” Smith told Sam Yip of HoopsHype this past fall. “But I promise you I’m not gonna take it for granted anymore. Anytime I step on that court, I’m going to go 110 percent.

The Cavaliers had only been carrying 13 players on standard contracts, so no corresponding move is necessary to make room for Smith, and Cleveland will still have one opening on its 15-man roster.

Smith’s “10-day” contract will actually run for 12 days, earning him a couple extra days of pay, since 10-day deals are required to cover at least three games. The Cavs only play twice more before the All-Star break — the third and final game of Smith’s contract will come on February 22 vs. Orlando.

Cavaliers Waive Seven Players

October 21st, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers have released seven players, including three who were just signed, according to the NBA.com transactions log.

Point guard Sharife Cooper, forward Pete Nance, guard Justin Powell and swingman Zhaire Smith all have Exhibit 10 contracts, so they’re likely headed to the Cleveland Charge, the organization’s G League affiliate. They can earn bonuses of up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the team.

Also placed on waivers were shooting guard Rob Edwards, small forward Aleem Ford and guard Devontae Shuler, who hadn’t been listed on the Cavs’ roster prior to today. They were likely all signed and waived with Exhibit 10 deals and will be eligible for the same $75K bonus.

Two of the players have brief NBA experience, as Edwards played two games for the Thunder and Ford appeared in five games with the Magic, both during the 2021/22 season.

The moves leave Cleveland with 12 fully guaranteed salaries and all three of its two-way slots filled. Veteran center Tristan Thompson and shooting guard Sam Merrill remain with the team on non-guaranteed deals.

Central Notes: Pacers, Strus, Z. Smith, Wiseman, Bagley, Pistons

October 4th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers aren’t loaded with star power, but they have one of the NBA’s deepest rosters, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, who suggests that all 15 players on standard contracts could make a legitimate case for rotation minutes. Due to that depth, Indiana’s training camp figures to be a very competitive one.

“Nothing is going to be given to anybody,” swingman Jordan Nwora said. “This is going to be different from past years. Guys are going to have to really earn it this year. That’s part of the reason why myself and a lot of other guys have been in the gym a lot this summer. … Outside of (Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield), no one here is really proven. Everyone here has to earn it.”

As Dopirak writes, the front office and coaching staff has indicated that only two starting spots are locked in so far: Haliburton will man the point, while Turner plays the five. The other three starting lineup spots are up for grabs, as are some rotation roles, and head coach Rick Carlisle is looking forward to seeing his players battle to earn minutes.

“The term that I like is competitive integrity,” Carlisle said. “If you really want to be a championship teammate, you have to do all the hard things. You gotta be a tenacious competitor defensively. You have to fight like hell competing against a guy you’re directly competing for for minutes and then you have to encourage him if he’s playing ahead of you.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Former Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who played with Max Strus in Miami, helped Strus make the decision to sign with Cleveland as a free agent this offseason, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required) details. “Kevin was one of the first people I called, and he couldn’t have been more positive about the city and the organization. He told me it was a no-brainer,” Strus said. “He was like, ‘Max, you’re everything they need. You’ll be a great fit. The guys are great, the organization’s great.’ Kevin talked very highly of it, and he hasn’t steered me wrong once.”
Speaking to Sam Yip of HoopsHype, former first-round pick Zhaire Smith, who is on an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, said he’s not taking his comeback for granted after dealing with so many health issues early in his professional career.
Addressing the backup center spot in the Pistons‘ rotation, head coach Monty Williams told reporters today that James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III are competing for that role. As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press notes (via Twitter), it sounds like there may only be room in the rotation for one of the two big men.
In his latest mailbag at Pistons.com, Keith Langlois addresses several Pistons-related topics, explaining why he thinks Detroit will add a 15th player on a standard contract for the regular season and why he’s skeptical that Ausar Thompson will be an opening night starter.

Cavaliers Sign Zhaire Smith To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 15th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

11:58am: The signing is official, Hoops Rumors has learned. Cleveland now has a full 21-man offseason roster.

11:14am: The Cavaliers are set to add a former first-round pick to their 21-man roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who hears from agent Adie von Gontard that Cleveland has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with free agent wing Zhaire Smith.

The 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Smith battled health issues after going pro and was limited to 13 regular season appearances in two NBA seasons with the Sixers. He was traded during the 2020 offseason to the Pistons, who subsequently waived him. The former Texas Tech standout hasn’t been on an NBA roster since he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies in December 2020.

Although Smith was on the roster for the Memphis Hustle – the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate – in 2020/21, he didn’t play at all that season and hasn’t suited up for any team since then, having continued to be plagued by injuries. According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, the 24-year-old underwent separate cleanup procedures on both knees during the summer of 2022.

“Every year I was like, ‘Oh, I’m about to play, I’m about to play,’ then there was just a setback,” Smith said, per Mussatto. “I didn’t know what was going on with my knees, and that was the hardest part.”

Smith’s ongoing effort to make an NBA comeback saw him join the Thunder for Summer League action this July. He appeared in four total games in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 6.0 points on 75.0% shooting in 14.0 minutes per game.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted to two-way deals, but the Cavaliers have filled all three of their two-way slots, so they likely envision having Smith suit up for their G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge. If he’s waived before the NBA season begins and then spends at least 60 days with the Charge, Smith would be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $75K.

Grizzlies Sign Shaq Buchanan, Waive Two Players

December 16th, 2020 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

2:38pm: The Grizzlies have now officially signed Buchanan and cut Vital, according to a second press release from the team. Buchanan currently occupies the 20th spot on Memphis’ roster, while Vital and Smith are both on waivers.

1:48pm: The Grizzlies continue to shuffle players in and out of the spots at the back of their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed free agent guard Christian Vital, waiving guard Zhaire Smith to create room on the 20-man squad.

Vital, who spent his college career at UConn, averaging 16.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.5 SPG in 31 games (32.2 MPG) as a senior in 2019/20. He went undrafted last month, and now looks like a strong candidate to end up with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate. The same is true of Smith, who had just signed with the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

It’s not uncommon to see players being released a day or two after they’re signed at this time of year. Signing a player to an Exhibit 10 contract and then cutting him allows an NBA team to secure the player’s G League affiliate rights if they don’t already belong to another NBAGL club, or to line up a $50K bonus for returning-rights players.

It appears that 6’3″ guard Shaq Buchanan will be one of the Hustle’s returning-rights players. After spending his rookie season with Memphis’ G League team last season, averaging 11.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 33 games (22.4 MPG), Buchanan has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Grizzlies again this year, agent Josh Goodwin tells JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

After swapping out Smith for Vital, the Grizzlies have a full 20-man roster, so they’ll need to waive another player in order to officially announce the Buchanan signing. Ahmad Caver and Bennie Boatwright are the most obvious candidates to be cut, but we’ll await official word from the club.

Grizzlies Waive Marko Guduric, Sign Zhaire Smith

December 15th, 2020 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have made a series of roster moves, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed guard Zhaire Smith and forward Bennie Boatwright while waiving guards Marko Guduric and Jahlil Tripp.

The release of Guduric had been expected, as we discussed earlier today. The 25-year-old Serbian appeared in 44 games with Memphis last season, averaging 3.9 PPG on .395/.301/.923 shooting in 11.0 minutes per contest. His $2.75MM salary for 2020/21 is fully guaranteed, so the Grizzlies won’t be able to remove it from their cap.

Tripp, meanwhile, had been on an Exhibit 10 contract and seems likely to eventually join the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate.

Since the Grizzlies still have 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, neither of the newcomers will receive a guarantee or earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster. They both received Exhibit 10 contracts and will likely end up with the Hustle, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian.

Smith, 21, was the 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft, but has only appeared in 13 games since then due primarily to health issues. The Sixers traded him last month to the Pistons, who subsequently released him.

As for Boatwright, the former USC star spent the 2019/20 season with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, but didn’t play due to a knee injury. In his last college season in 2018/19, he averaged 18.2 PPG on .474/.429/.702 shooting in 31 games (33.5 MPG) for the Trojans.

Pistons Waive Zhaire Smith

November 30th, 2020 at 4:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have placed swingman Zhaire Smith on waivers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The transaction was expected, as Detroit’s plan to waive Smith was previously reported. The Pistons officially acquired Smith from the 76ers in exchange for center Tony Bradley a week ago.

Smith was due to make $3.2MM during the upcoming season but that was the only guarantee left on his rookie contract. His $4.915MM salary for the 2021/22 season includes a team option.

There’s a good chance Detroit will use the stretch provision on Smith’s contract. Only the guaranteed money would count, so if the Pistons stretch his contract for three years, the cap hit would be around $1MM per season.

Smith was drafted just outside the lottery with the No. 16 pick in the 2018 draft but his first two seasons were marred by injuries. He’s appeared in just 13 NBA games.