Tag: Zhaire Smith

NBA draft rewind: Sixers make a trade for Zhaire Smith in 2018

The Philadelphia 76ers made a trade for Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith on draft night in 2018.

With the 2024 NBA draft approaching quickly–Round 1 of the draft is set for June 26–now is the time to look back at some of the previous draft picks the Philadelphia 76ers have made in recent years.

The Sixers entered the 2018 draft in a fantastic position. After making a playoff run in the 2017-18 season led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, they held the No. 10 pick in the draft with the chance to add another top talent.

With that selection, the Sixers picked Mikal Bridges out of Villanova. However, they flipped him to the Phoenix Suns for the No. 16 pick which they then used on Zhaire Smith from Texas Tech. It was a surprising move when considering Bridges’ skill set fit like a glove with Embiid and Simmons and that he was a local product.

Smith suffered an unfortunate allergic reaction in his rookie season which limited him to just six games played and then he played just seven games in his second season before he was sent to the Detroit Pistons in the 2020 offseason.

With just 13 career games under his belt, Smith is currently working on getting back into the NBA. He most recently signed a 10-day deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in February of 2024.

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Zhaire Smith recalls food allergy with Sixers, losing 60 pounds

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Zhaire Smith recalls the food allergy and losing 60 pounds during his rookie season.

Most will remember Zhaire Smith’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers as disappointing considering the Sixers selected Mikal Bridges at No. 10 in 2018 just to trade him to the Phoenix Suns for the pick to select Smith at 16.

Bridges has gone on to have a very good career while Smith’s time in Philadelphia was hampered by a serious food allergy as a rookie. Smith played only 13 games and averaged 3.7 points for the Sixers in two seasons.

Now with the Cleveland Cavaliers on an Exhibit 10 deal, Smith recalled his rookie season with the Sixers as he sat down with HoopsHype:

It was Thai chicken. I ate that and the first symptoms started where my lips started swelling, so I drove home to try to heal. I started to brush my teeth and I was OK for about 10 minutes, then I started catching hives.

Then once that happened, I called somebody to come to try to give me Benadryl. Once I took Benadryl my toes started swelling and I called 911. Everything on my body felt like I was on fire. So 911 came, and I was just in the back of the van and was in the hospital for about a month and a half. Lost about 60 pounds, and my body was deteriorating so I really had to start from scratch on a feeding tube and wires all throughout my body. It was a tough situation to go through, but it made me stronger.

Who knows what Smith could have been in Philadelphia if he hadn’t suffered the food allergy reaction? While he didn’t have the same projections as Bridges, he had great potential as a 3-and-D player. It’s unfortunate he had this happen to him, but he has a second chance in the league with the Cavaliers.

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Zhaire Smith: ‘I promise you I’m not gonna take it for granted anymore’

Zhaire Smith is perhaps best remembered as part of the 2018 draft day trade where Smith and Miami’s 2021 first-round pick were dealt for the 10th pick, Mikal Bridges. The Texas Tech product only lasted two seasons with the Sixers, and has since been …

Zhaire Smith is perhaps best remembered as part of the 2018 draft day trade where Smith and Miami’s 2021 first-round pick were dealt for the 10th pick,  Mikal Bridges. The Texas Tech product only lasted two seasons with the Sixers, and has since been trying to find his footing in the NBA landscape. After bouncing around numerous teams, he played well for the Thunder Summer League squad in July, and landed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Smith sat down with HoopsHype ahead of training camp to talk about his compelling story, including a life-threatening allergic event during his rookie season, his long journey back to this point now, and more.

Player grades: Ousmane Dieng flashes in 100-91 summer league win against Sixers

It was the Ousmane Dieng show against the Sixers in the SLC summer league finale.

Slipping off of a screen, Ousmane Dieng found a pocket in the dunker spot and softly feathered the ball inside the basket.

It was Dieng’s first of 10 buckets in an eventful night that saw the Oklahoma City Thunder dominate the scarcely-talented Philadelphia 76ers, 100-91.

“It was great experiences and I was really impressed with how guys competed every game,” Thunder summer league coach David Akinyooye said about their three Salt Lake City games

Monday was about Chet Holmgren’s return. Wednesday was about Tre Mann’s 28 points. So it only made sense that it was Dieng’s turn to have a summer night where he shined the brightest for OKC.

After a rough first 1.5 SLC summer league games, Dieng capped off his stay in Utah with a strong final game. The Thunder were without most of their notable players — as Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Cason Wallace were all out. This means the deck was cleared for Dieng and Mann to take over this game and dominate against inferior competition.

“I think I’ve been better every game in the last three games,” Dieng said. “… I think I got better yesterday and today.”

Despite the long list of players who were out, the Thunder made easy work of the Sixers, whose most notable player was 2021 first-rounder Jaden Springer.

Springer finished with 17 points, five rebounds and seven turnovers. Undrafted rookie Terquavion Smith also had 15 points and went 5-of-10 from 3 for the Sixers. Greg Brown III had 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Thunder got off to a hot start that helped them build a 36-17 advantage following the first quarter. OKC continued to pile on and entered halftime with a 24-point lead. After only losing three points of their lead in the third quarter, the final 10 minutes essentially served as garbage time — until it wasn’t.

Despite leading by as many as 31 points, the Thunder had to earn this win late as Sixers made it interesting in the fourth quarter by cutting OKC’s lead to as little as five points. The Thunder escaped with the win and a 2-1 record in Utah, but the Sixers’ comeback efforts made them sweat it out a bit after being in control for the first three quarters.

Regardless though, if the Thunder would’ve blown a 31-point lead, it really wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things — summer league results are inconsequential and the individual performances of Dieng and Mann were enough to feel good about this game.

The Thunder wrapped up the SLC portion of their summer league schedule. OKC will now play at least five more games in Las Vegas.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Ex-Sixers first round pick Zhaire Smith gives update on his whereabouts

Ex-Philadelphia 76ers first round pick Zhaire Smith gives an update on his whereabouts as he works on an NBA comeback.

Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers know Zhaire Smith from the big draft-night trade back in 2018 when the Sixers selected Mikal Bridges with the 10th overall pick only to trade him to the Phoenix Suns for the 16th pick which turned out to be Smith.

Smith was expected to bring athleticism and defense off Philadelphia’s bench and he did give the Sixers some glimpses of that when he was able to play. All in all, Smith only played in 13 games for the Sixers in two seasons due to a variety of injuries and an allergic reaction in his rookie season.

Smith was then traded to the Detroit Pistons shortly before the 2020-21 season, but he has not played since the 2019-20 season. A lot of NBA fans were curious about where he has been and he revealed on Twitter that he is still dealing with a severe knee injury since his second season with the Sixers.

Smith hopes to be able to play in the upcoming summer league as he continues to try and work his way back into the league. Considering that he is only 22-years old, Smith can still possibly carve out a role in the league. He just needs to get healthy.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers draft in review: Team trades for 16th pick, Zhaire Smith in 2018

We look back at the 2018 NBA draft when the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Zhaire Smith.

As the Philadelphia 76ers continue their draft preparation for the 2021 NBA draft on July 29, now is the time to look back on past drafts as we lead up to this one from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

In this edition, we look back at the 2018 NBA draft when Philadelphia held the 10th pick in the first round. With the pick, the Sixers selected Mikal Bridges out of Villanova, a 3-and-D option for the roster.

It was a perfect fit. He grew up in the Philadelphia area, and his mother worked for the organization. However, the Sixers then flipped Bridges to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the 16th pick which turned into Texas Tech standout Zhaire Smith.

Over two seasons in Philadelphia, Smith battled a ton of adversity. From injuries to an allergic reaction to losing a lot of weight, he played in 13 games and a total of 143 minutes. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons in the 2020 offseason before Detroit waived him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-QPP5i13bo

Smith signed a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in December, but that did not last long. He spent the season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, but he did not appear in any games.

Considering he is only 22 years old, there is still hope for Smith to get an opportunity in the league. He needs to find the right fit and take advantage of his next chance.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Former Sixers coach Brett Brown apologized to Mikal Bridges’ mom over trade

Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown apologized to Mikal Bridges’ mother for making the trade.

With the Phoenix Suns in the NBA finals for the first time since 1993, a lot of the talk concerning the Philadelphia 76ers goes back to the 2018 draft when they selected Villanova guard Mikal Bridges 10th overall. They then flipped Bridges to the Suns for the 16th pick which then became Zhaire Smith.

Smith is no longer with the Sixers while Bridges is a starter and has played a big role for Phoenix making the finals this season. So there is a lot of disappointment on Philadelphia’s side.

What made matters worse was that Bridges’ mother worked for the organization. It almost seemed like a perfect match for a team needing somebody who can provide good play on both ends of the floor.

Former Sixers coach Brett Brown, who was also the acting general manager at the time after the Bryan Colangelo fiasco, was the one who was pulling the strings for Philadelphia and he has apologized to Bridges’ mother over and over again for making the trade.

Bridges scored 14 points in Phoenix’s Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals and he will now look to help the Suns take a 2-0 lead before the scene shifts to Milwaukee on Sunday.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Former Sixers guard Zhaire Smith reaches deal to sign with Grizzlies

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Zhaire Smith will sign with the Memphis Grizzlies.

It has been a tough start to the NBA for Zhaire Smith after being selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 16th pick in the 2018 NBA draft. The Philadelphia 76ers traded for him on draft night, but he then only played a grand total of 13 games in two seasons due to a variety of injuries.

The Sixers then shipped Smith to the Detroit Pistons in a November trade that netted them big man Tony Bradley. It seemed like it was a good match for Smith as the Pistons are looking at a rebuild and he would be able to get the necessary playing time to develop.

Unfortunately, Detroit waived Smith right away and he was left looking for a new opportunity. It appears that he has found that as he will sign with the Memphis Grizzlies and see what he can do with them.

The Grizzlies have done a good job in recent seasons developing young players and now they will look to do the same with Smith. It is now a fresh start for the 21-year old athlete out of Texas Tech. [lawrence-related id=40241,40218,40213]

Bell Ringer Podcast: how will new additions help Sixers going forward?

The Bell Ringer Podcast returns to discuss what the new additions will do to help the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward.

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The Bell Ringer Podcast returns to discuss what could be a very interesting Philadelphia 76ers team in the 2020-21 season. Host Ky Carlin welcomes Austin Krell of The Painted Lines to give thoughts on the Dwight Howard acquisition as well as moving Zhaire Smith to the Detroit Pistons for big man Tony Bradley.

The Sixers have been in need of shooting and that is what Seth Curry and Danny Green will bring to the lineup. They will discuss that as well as the fact that team has finally found a suitable backup to Joel Embiid. The team has struggled to do that in recent seasons and Howard can be the guy who can solidify that role. He brings a wealth of experience to the job having been in the league for 16 seasons and he is coming off a season where he won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers. The two also discuss where Smith could go after the trade and the potential that he still has in this league.

Another topic discussed is who the top five teams in the East will be in the 2020-21 season.

As always leave your thoughts with us on Twitter and we thank you for listening. We are now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well so make sure you check out past episodes! We will continue to add new episodes whenever we can and when basketball does eventually return, we will ramp up our efforts to bring you basketball content.

Pistons will waive and stretch Zhaire Smith after acquiring him from Sixers

The Detroit Pistons will waive Zhaire Smith after acquiring him from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Zhaire Smith has had a tough start to his NBA career. After the Philadelphia 76ers acquired him from the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA draft, he had some unfortunate injuries come his way including an allergic reaction and he only played six games as a rookie.

He then played in only seven games in his second season in the league after the team drafted Matisse Thybulle and he was ticketed to the G League. He did average 13.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in the 2019-20 season with the Delaware Blue Coats, but it was clear that he still needed some more development.

He was not going to play in Philadelphia after the team acquired Danny Green and Seth Curry on Wednesday and the team shipped him out to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday in a deal to acquire big man Tony Bradley. It seemed like that would be a logical place for him to get his career going.

Unfortunately, he will not stay with the Pistons as the team will waive and stretch him once the deal is complete.

Smith is still only 21-years old so there is still hope that he will be able to get his career going. At this point, he just has to find the right place for him to get the necessary playing time and continue to get healthy. [lawrence-related id=39389,39384,39381]