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Hornets waive Ish Smith, Frank Ntilikina, James Bouknight

Charlotte Hornets have waived guard James Bouknight, guard Frank Ntilikina and guard Ish Smith.

Bouknight appeared in 79 games in three seasons with the Hornets, averaging 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per contest. He posted 3.6 points in 5.8 minutes per game across 14 appearances this season. The Hornets originally selected Bouknight in the first round (11th overall) of the 2021 NBA Draft.

Ntilikina has recorded 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game across 321 appearances (65 starts) in his seven-year NBA career. He suited up for five contests with the Hornets this season, logging 8.6 minutes per game. Ntilikina, who was originally selected by the New York Knicks with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, signed with the Hornets as a free agent on Aug. 5, 2023.

Smith, a 14-year veteran who has played for an NBA-record 13 teams, holds career averages of 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 805 appearances (172 starts). He notched 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 43 games (five starts) for the Hornets this season. A native of Concord, N.C., Smith signed with the Hornets as a free agent on Oct. 24, 2023.

Nuggets trade Monte Morris and Will Barton to Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith

The Washington Wizards yesterday acquired Monte Morris and Will Barton III in a trade with the Denver Nuggets that sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to the Nuggets.

“We’re very excited to add Monte and Will as proven players at the point guard and shooting guard positions, two areas that were top priorities for us to address during this offseason,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Monte has steadily improved his all-around game and is coming off a career year while Will has been a consistent scorer and three-point threat during his time in Denver, and both are obviously familiar with Coach Unseld’s system and style.”

Morris (6-3, 175), a five-year NBA veteran, comes to Washington after averaging career-bests of 12.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 75 games (74 starts) in 2021-22. Morris topped 20 points on seven different occasions last year and dished at least five assists in 34 games while limiting turnovers, as he finished fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.27:1.

In 280 career games (105 starts) with the Nuggets, Morris has averaged 10.5 points and 3.7 assists per game on .481 shooting from the field and .394 shooting from three with a 4.8:1 assist to turnover ratio. He has averaged double-digit scoring over each of the past two seasons and has shot at least .450 from the field and .370 from three-point territory in each of the past four. He ranked 29th in three-point percentage last season (.395) and connected on multiple three-pointers in 36 games. Morris shot a career-best .414 from three-point range in 2018-19, 13th best in the NBA. The native of Grand Rapids, MI, played four years at Iowa State, leaving as the Cyclones’ all-time winningest player with 100 victories before being selected 51st overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by Denver.

Barton III (6-6, 190) has played 10 NBA seasons with Portland and Denver, appearing in 623 games (284 starts) and averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting .362 from three-point range. In his seven-and-a-half seasons in Denver after being acquired at the 2015 trade deadline, Barton III averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and leaves the Nuggets as the franchise’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (804).

In 71 games (all starts) with the Nuggets last season, Barton III averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 32.1 minutes per contest. He shot .438 from the field and .365 from three-point territory while attempting a career-high 6.1 three-pointers per game. The 31-year-old guard scored in double-figures in 57 games and totaled 20 or more points on 17 occasions. The Memphis product averaged 10+ points in every season with Denver (2015-2022) and has shot .360 or better from three-point range in five of the last six seasons. The Baltimore native was originally selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Portland.

Morris and Barton III combined to average 27.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game on .444 shooting from the field and .407 shooting from three during the 2021-22 NBA Playoffs.

Caldwell-Pope started in 77 games in his lone season in Washington after being acquired as part of the five-team deal from the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In his second stint in Washington, Ish Smith averaged 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in 28 games after being acquired at the trade deadline from Charlotte.

“We wish KCP and Ish and their families the very best and we thank them for their time with the Wizards,” said Sheppard.

Charlotte Hornets sign Ish Smith

The Charlotte Hornets have signed free agent guard Ish Smith.

A former Wake Forest product, Smith joins the Hornets after he averaged 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 21.0 minutes per game in 44 appearances with the Washington Wizards during the 2020-21 season. In his two seasons with the Wizards, Smith averaged 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 24.2 minutes per game, appearing in 112 games.

Over his 11-year career, Smith has averaged 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 20.2 minutes per game in 654 career games for 11 different teams. Smith has also appeared in 19 career postseason games, averaging 3.3 points and 1.7 assists in 11.5 minutes per game with Memphis, Orlando, Milwaukee, Detroit and Washington.

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Smith ranks second all-time in career assists at Wake Forest and attended Central Cabarrus High School, located in nearby Concord, North Carolina.

Pistons guard Ish Smith injured

An MRI has revealed that Detroit Pistons guard Ish Smith has suffered a right adductor muscle tear. The injury occurred in the second quarter of the Pistons game at Milwaukee on December 5. Smith will be out and reassessed in two weeks.

Now in his 9th NBA season, Smith in 2018-19 is averaging 9.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 22 games.

According to the Detroit News, “it’s the third injury to the Pistons’ backcourt, along with Reggie Bullock (left ankle sprain) and Luke Kennard (right shoulder sprain). Kennard has returned and played in the last two games but has been ineffective as he’s tried to gain his game speed and timing back.”

Ish Smith to sign with Pistons

Ish Smith did some fun things on the Sixers last season, averaging 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 50 games for Philly. But he’ll be bringing his talents to Detroit. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

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.

So far, Ish Smith is helping the Sixers

The Sixers have won two of their last four games, which doesn’t sound like much. And they’re still a bad team in the middle (???) of a rebuilding period. But they’ve looked better lately. Here’s CSN Philly reporting on guard Ish Smith, who is shooting a low FG percentage in his four Sixers games but otherwise is clearly adding structure to the squad:

Call it the Ish Smith effect.

Since acquiring the point guard from the New Orleans Pelicans on Christmas Eve, the Sixers have been noticeably more competitive. They’ve even won a few games.

New chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo, who has spent some time with the Sixers during their trip out on the West Coast, has seen a drastic change in the team firsthand.

“There’s a different feeling about the team right now,” he said during the broadcast of Sixers-Lakers on Comcast SportsNet Friday night. “They really believe they have a chance to win every game they’re going out to play now. It’s amazing what one addition can make. In this particular case, Ish has been a great, great addition in terms of raising the bar for all the players.”

Phoenix Suns waive Ish Smith

The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Ish Smith, the team announced today.

“We thank Ish Smith for his contributions to the Suns,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He played with an infectious joy. We wish him well.”

Initially acquired by the Suns from the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade on Aug. 29, 2013, Smith averaged 3.7 points, 2.6 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 14.4 minutes in 70 games in his one season with the Suns.