Sixers’ G League Affiliate Acquires Veteran Guard's Rights

On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, announced a transaction.

In an exchange with the Birmingham Squadron, the Blue Coats have landed the G League rights of Javonte Smart. To land Smart’s rights, the Blue Coats have sent out a 2024 first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, and the rights to Devin Cannady.

Currently, Smart is suiting up for the Sixers throughout their preseason run. Back in August, the veteran guard signed an Exhibit-10 contract with Philadelphia after spending the Summer League run representing Philadelphia.

Smart joined the Sixers for training camp in Colorado last week. On Sunday, he made his preseason debut with the Sixers in their matchup against the Boston Celtics.

During the third quarter, Smart received his first set of action with the team, checking in for two minutes. He played the entire fourth quarter as the Sixers went on to collect a loss against the Celtics, who rallied off a 33-26 run in the final quarter to win 114-106.

In total, Smart spent 14 minutes on the court. During that time, he attempted three shots, all from beyond the arc. He made all but one of his attempts, scoring six points. In addition to his scoring production, Smart dished out two assists and collected one rebound and two steals on the defensive end.

If Smart fails to make the Sixers’ final roster before the start of the regular season, the plan would be to have him join the Blue Coats for the 2023-2024 season, as long as he doesn’t sign a standard or two-way contract with another organization.

Since going undrafted out of LSU in 2021, Smart has competed with several G League and NBA teams. His professional career started on the Miami Heat’s G League squad, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In November 2021, Smart landed a two-way deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. After he was waived by Milwaukee a few months later, he returned to Sioux Falls. A month later, Smart landed a two-way deal with the Heat.

Last season, Smart played for the Squadron in the G League. He averaged 29 minutes on the court in 32 matchups during the regular season. In that time, Smart produced 14 points per game while generating three assists per outing. Smart averaged 43 percent from the field, knocking down 36 percent of his threes on six attempts per game.

At the NBA level, Smart has 17 games under his belt. In his 13 appearances with the Bucks, Smart averaged two points and one assist. During his four games with the Heat, he put up five points per game, averaging under one assist.

In the event Smart returns to the G League to play with Delaware, he’ll get a chance to run with the Blue Coats’ new head coach, Mike Longabardi, who joins the team after Coby Karl’s promotion.

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