Malachi Smith of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)
Malachi Smith of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)
Four months after closing the 2025-26 NBA season against the Toronto Raptors, former Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith has signed a contract with the Eastern Conference franchise.
Per NBA rules, the terms of Smith’s deal were not disclosed by the organization.
Smith made his NBA debut last season with the Brooklyn Nets and played 15 games with the team in March and April, signing consecutive 10-day contracts before agreeing to a non-guaranteed deal to close out the regular season.
The guard became a free agent on July 10 when he was waived by Brooklyn and did not sign with a team to play NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Smith was productive and efficient in the limited minutes he played for Brooklyn last year, averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 48.5% shooting and 43.5% from the 3-point line.
He reached double figures in seven of his 15 games and wasn’t far off from a triple-double while scoring 19 points with 10 assists and eight rebounds on April 10 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Smith saw an uptick in playing time near the end of the season, logging at least 36 minutes in each of his last four games, including 40 minutes against the Indiana Pacers and 43 against the Bucks. He closed the season with eight points, six assists and five rebounds against the Toronto team he signed with Monday.
Before a monthlong stint with the Nets, Smith played for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island. Prior to that, the former Zag spent two seasons playing for three G League teams: the Rip City Remix (Portland Trail Blazers), Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks) and Memphis Hustle (Memphis Grizzlies).
Smith spent one season at Gonzaga in 2022-23 after playing two seasons at Chattanooga and one at Wright State. He earned West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors after averaging 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while making 53.6% of his shots from the field and shooting an impressive 50% from the 3-point line.