Javonte

Smart

Lofton Jr. was waived by the Grizzlies recently in a move that allowed them to activate Ja Morant. He has quickly found a new home in Philly, though it is at the expense of Smart’s roster spot. Lofton Jr. will likely spend most of his time in the G-League, though he has a chance to carve out a role with a lot of aging veterans currently in front of him.

Smart was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in August and has since done enough to fill the 76ers’ final two-way contract slot. Even with the James Harden situation unresolved, it’s unlikely Smart gets the playing time needed to be of value to fantasy managers.

Smart, who played for the 76ers’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas, will be with the team when training camp begins in early October. While Philadelphia has already signed three players to two-way contracts, the franchise does currently have an open roster spot. Regardless of the role he managers to earn, Smart is unlikely to get the minutes needed to be a factor in fantasy basketball once the regular season begins.

Smart spent time with both the Heat and the Bucks during the 2021-22 season, and he ended up playing for the Birmingham Squadron this past year. However, he has had an excellent summer and has a real chance to earn a two-way deal this upcoming season, whether it’s with the 76ers or a different team. Unfortunately, the odds of him contributing in fantasy are slim to none.

Smart is looking to catch on with the 76ers after spending last season with the Birmingham Squadron in the NBA G League. Becoming a more efficient offensive player while also showing that he can contribute defensively would go a long way toward making that happen, and Smart played well against the Jazz. That said, he may be playing for that third two-way contract this summer, even though the 76ers currently only have 10 players under contract for next season. Rookies Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith have already been signed to two-way deals.

Smart signed a training camp deal with the Pelicans in September after playing for the Bucks and Heat last season. He’ll likely play with their G-League team in Birmingham this season.

Smart didn’t get much playing time when he was a member of the Bucks or Heat last season, with Miami waiving him in mid-July. Now the Louisiana native returns home, and he’ll look to earn one of the Pelicans’ final roster spots. This will have no impact on anyone’s fantasy league.

Smart hit just 8-of-26 shots in Wednesday’s Summer League game, which probably didn’t help his cause. They also added Marcus Garrett on a two-way deal.

Smart is trying to hang onto his two-way deal with the Heat and may have been pressing tonight after struggling earlier in Summer League. He wasn’t great tonight but at least his 20 points were a game-high. Assuming he sticks with the Heat he’s going to spend a lot of time in the G-League and won’t have fantasy value. Haywood Highsmith, who was undrafted in 2018, had 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals, three blocks and a 3-pointer and will simply be trying to find some backup power forward minutes with the Heat this season. Maybe he’ll emerge as a sleeper with a strong training camp and preseason.

Smart is without a contract after spending last season with the Heat on a two-way deal, so these games in Las Vegas are of the utmost importance to him. He can certainly score, but the efficiency remains a bit of an issue. The good news for Smart was that he was able to get to the foul line consistently, with this being a big reason why he was able to lead the Heat in scoring. Since there’s no guarantee that he’ll have an NBA contract once training camp rolls around, Smart shouldn’t be on anyone’s fantasy radar.