A trio of players around the league have been waived, according to the NBA.com transaction log: Deivon Smith (Hawks), Malachi Smith (Nets), and James Akinjo (Nuggets).
Deivon Smith was a five-year college player who started his career at Mississippi State and ended it at St. John’s. A 6’1″ guard, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.9 assists for St. John’s after transferring from Utah.
Akinjo is also a 6’1″ guard. He played for Georgetown for two seasons, then Arizona, before playing his senior season at Baylor, where he averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He played last season with the Wisconsin Herd G League team, averaging 15.7 points and 8.2 assists on 41.3% shooting from three.
Malachi Smith signed his deal with the Nets yesterday. He has been a G League mainstay since going undrafted in 2023, playing last season for the Grizzlies’ affiliate, the G League Hustle. Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter) that Smith got $42,650 guaranteed in his deal, which was aimed at helping the Nets stay over the salary floor.
All three players will now have the chance to earn a bonus of up to $85,300 if they stay with their respective teams’ G League affiliates for 60 days or more.