Tired of waiting on the Sixers to pull the trigger, journeyman point guard Ish Smith has reportedly signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Detroit Pistons.
According to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers had told Smith that they wanted him to come back in a reserve role, but after not hearing from Philly by 3:30 am, the point guard signed with SVG and Detroit.
Smith averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 assists between the Sixers and Pelicans last season.
More from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer
A source said the #Sixers didn't call Ish Smith be 3:30 a.m. this morning. Tired of waiting for a call, he opted to go w/ #DetroitPistons
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 1, 2016
One can only assume the #Sixers have a deal in hand for a PG after not contacting Ish Smith or drafting one
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 1, 2016
Ish Smith wanted to resign with the 76ers, but knew it wasn’t a guarantee. And he wasn’t going to sit around and wait.
So the point guard has agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, according to a source. The Detroit News first reported that Smith reached an agreement. A contract may not be signed until July 7.
“He wanted to come back to Philly, but they never called him,” the source said.
The free-agency period started at 12 a.m. Friday. The Sixers had told Smith that they wanted him to come back as a reserve. However, Smith had not heard from the Sixers by 3:30 a.m., the source said, and that’s when the North Carolina native accepted the Pistons offer.
“He said, ‘Last year, I waited on Philly, and Philly did me in,’ ” the source said.
Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.
