NBA Rumors: Pistons Expected to Waive Zhaire Smith After Sixers Trade

Zhaire Smith was supposed to get a fresh start with the Pistons. Apparently, Detroit isn't counting on it.

Daryl Morey's cleanse of the Philadelphia 76ers' roster continued on Sunday afternoon. Just days after getting out of the Al Horford contract and sending Josh Richardson to Dallas, the Sixers' President of Basketball Operations traded Zhaire Smith to the Detroit Pistons for former Utah Jazz center, Tony Bradley.

Smith, the 21-year-old former first-round pick, joined the Sixers on draft night in 2018. Originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns, Smith was traded to Philly along with a 2021 first-round pick in exchange for former Villanova star Mikal Bridges. 

Before he ever had the chance to debut for the Sixers during the 2018-2019 season, Smith injured his foot. Like most Sixers rookies at the time, the former Texas Tech prospect was possibly facing a redshirt season for his rookie year.

However, when March of 2019 rolled around, Smith was able to debut for the Delaware Blue Coats, the G League affiliates of the 76ers. After getting back into basketball shape and getting his feet wet in the pros, the 76ers called Smith up so he could pick up some quality minutes as the team prepares for a playoff run.

In six games, a 19-year-old Smith averaged 6.7 points-per-game in roughly 18 minutes of action. The rookie showed promise as he drained 37-percent of his threes. Although three-point shooting hasn't been his specialty, the young guard wanted to work on his range in year two as he knew the Sixers needed better shooters.

Unfortunately, Smith's second season didn't go as planned. As the Sixers heavily favored their 2019 first-round pick Matisse Thybulle, Smith found himself buried behind a handful of other players. He spent most of his 2019-2020 season down in the G League and was even placed on the team's trading block ahead of last season's deadline.

At the time, Smith didn't have any interested suitors -- so the Sixers held onto him. On Sunday, the Detroit Pistons looked to acquire the 21-year-old guard. As it turns out, they don't intend to hold onto him for long.

According to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, the Pistons traded for Zhaire Smith with the intention of waiving him soon. While it seemed Detroit could be an ideal team for Smith to get back on track and develop his game further, the Pistons aren't interested in taking on that responsibility. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_