Sixers re-acquire Ish Smith, release Tony Wroten
The 76ers have gotten back the point guard they coveted.
The 76ers have gotten back the point guard they coveted.
The team acquired Ish Smith from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for two future second-round picks. To make room, the Sixers released point guard Tony Wroten.
Smith averaged 12 points, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 25 games last season with the Sixers after being claimed off waivers from the Pelicans. The Sixers chose not to resign him in the offseason.
He spent time with the Washington Wizards in the preseason. After being waived on Oct. 24, he was claimed two days later by the Pelicans.
Smith appeared in 27 games this season with the Pelicans, averaging 8.9 points, 5.7 assists and 0.9 steals in 23 minutes. The fifth-year veteran, out of Wake Forest, ranks fifth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.42 to 1).
The North Carolina native will fill an immediate need.
"I think the biggest area for me is tightening up the point guard," coach Brett Brown said after Wednesday's setback to the Bucks in Milwaukee, dropping the team to 1-30. "We need production from that position. We need leadership. We need execution. We need a voice. As I said the past few games, it's kind of not their fault."
The remaining point guards on roster are Kendall Marshall and T.J. McConnell.
Wroten averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 assists and 3.6 turnovers in eight games this season after being sidelined for the last 101/2 months due to a partially torn right anterior cruciate ligament.
With Wroten's departure, Nerlens Noel and Hollis Thompson are the only roster holdovers from the 2013-14 season.
The Sixers acquired Wroten in August 2013 from the Memphis Grizzlies for a protected second-round pick.
He backed up former Sixer Michael Carter-Williams his first season in Philadelphia.
In 30 games last season, Wroten averaged 16.9 points, 5.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He started 15 games. The 22-year-old has a contract that expires at the conclusion of this season.
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