Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith got his first opportunity to play at the NBA level when the Nets signed him to a 10-day contract two weeks ago to bolster the backcourt depth. Despite the rough start to his tenure in Brooklyn, Smith has found his stride as of late and now, the team is rewarding him with a chance to continue building on his rookie campaign.
The Nets signed Smith to a second 10-day contract, according to a report from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto on Wednesday, prior to a matchup at the Golden State Warriors. Now that Smith remains on the Nets’ roster, he should be good to play until Apr. 4 when he presumably would have to sign a deal for the rest of the season which ends for Brooklyn on Apr. 12.
Smith, 26, is having a solid start to his NBA career as he’s averaging 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 50.0% from the field and 50.0% from three-point land. With rookie guard Egor Demin out for the rest of the season due to left plantar fasciitis, Smith has been part of a backcourt rotation including rookies Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.
“All very positive. He’s gotten better. We’ve seen great things from from him,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Smith prior to Monday’s 134-99 loss at the Portland Trail Blazers. “I would say the number one thing is, how good of a teammate he is, how good of a basketball player, like overall. Basketball players just got a great feel for the game.”
Heading into Wednesday’s game at the Warriors, the Nets will not only be missing Demin, but they will also be missing Traore (rest), creating more of a need for Smith to be on the roster. Smith will presumably be the backup point guard off the bench for Brooklyn on Wednesday and now that he’s signed for another 10 days, he can continue showing what he’s made of during this rebuilding season.
With Malachi Smith returning to the Nets, he will continue to occupy the 15th and final roster spot. Assuming that Smith was signed to his second 10-day contract today, he should be on the team until April 4th. Smith received praise from Nets HC Jordi Fernandez the other night. https://t.co/Ftmy0GMZ9V
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) March 25, 2026
Prior to last night’s loss at the Trail Blazers, Nets HC Jordi Fernandez said this of Malachi Smith:
“We’ve seen great things from him. I would say the No. 1 one thing is, how good of a teammate he is, how good of a basketball player [he is], just got a great feel for the game.” https://t.co/dqhos3s2K5
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) March 25, 2026
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets sign G Malachi Smith to second 10-day contract
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