Report: Ish Smith Signing Deal With Detroit Pistons

Tired of waiting on the Sixers to pull the trigger, journeyman point guard Ish Smith has reportedly signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Detroit Pistons.

According to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers had told Smith that they wanted him to come back in a reserve role, but after not hearing from Philly by 3:30 am, the point guard signed with SVG and Detroit.

Smith averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 assists between the Sixers and Pelicans last season.

More from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Ish Smith wanted to resign with the 76ers, but knew it wasn’t a guarantee. And he wasn’t going to sit around and wait.

 
 So the point guard has agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, according to a source.  The Detroit News first reported that Smith reached an agreement.  A contract may not be signed until July 7.

 

“He wanted to come back to Philly, but they never called him,” the source said.

 

The free-agency period started at 12 a.m. Friday. The Sixers had told Smith that they wanted him to come back as a reserve. However, Smith had not heard from the Sixers by 3:30 a.m., the source said, and that’s when the North Carolina native accepted the Pistons offer.

 

“He said, ‘Last year, I waited on Philly, and Philly did me in,’ ” the source said. 

Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.