Nets Add Guard Malachi Smith on Partially Guaranteed Deal
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The Brooklyn Nets have signed free-agent guard Malachi Smith, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.
Smith, 25, has spent the past two seasons in the NBA G League after going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. He split his rookie year between the Rip City Remix and the Wisconsin Herd before joining the Memphis Hustle for the 2024-25 campaign, appearing in 46 total games for the Grizzlies’ affiliate.
With Memphis last season, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 25.3 minutes while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three-point range.
Last month, the Long Island Nets acquired Smith’s returning G League rights from Memphis. Brooklyn is expected to waive him shortly, enabling him to report to Long Island for the upcoming G League season. The new agreement is believed to include a small partial guarantee.
Most players bound for G League affiliates typically sign Exhibit 10 contracts, which carry bonuses that do not impact the salary cap. Brooklyn has taken a different approach this fall, issuing standard contracts with partial guarantees that count toward the league’s minimum salary floor. Earlier this week, forward Tre Scott received a $45,000 partial guarantee, and guard Terry Roberts received $25,000; both were waived soon after, yet those amounts remain on the Nets’ cap.
Source: Hoops Rumors
