The Delaware Blue Coats, the G League club of the Philadelphia 76ers, made an announcement on Monday. Javonte Smart’s G League rights have been acquired by the Blue Coats in a trade with the Birmingham Squadron. The Blue Coats traded Devin Cannady’s rights, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick for Smart’s rights.
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.
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 graduating from LSU in 2021 and going undrafted, Smart has faced up against a number of G League and NBA teams. Sioux Falls Skyforce, a Miami Heat G League team, was where he began his professional career. Smart signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks in November 2021. A few months later, after Milwaukee released him, he went back to Sioux Falls. Smart signed a two-way contract with the Heat a month later.
