Dennis Smith Jr.

After being drafted 9th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, Dennis Smith Jr.’s time with the Mavericks was short-lived, as he was traded to New York during the 2017-18 season in a deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. to Dallas. 

Dennis Smith Jr. was really solid for the Knicks that season, averaging 14.7 points, 5.4 assists and shooting 41.3% from the floor in 21 games, but his role with New York declined greatly during the 2019-20 season when the Knicks favored Elfrid Payton, Alonzo Trier and Frank Ntilikina over him. 

Then, after playing just three games with the Knicks last season, Dennis Smith Jr. was on the move again to the Detroit Pistons for Derrick Rose. In Detroit, Smith Jr. played well when he was on the court, but he was dealing with some injuries that kept him sidelined and the Pistons favored other younger guards over him. 

Now a free agent, no team has been willing to take a chance on Dennis Smith Jr. even though he still has the potential to be a really strong, and athletic rotational point guard in this league. Not being able to shoot from the perimeter has been a long documented problem for Smith Jr. in this league, but overall, he is definitely a guy worth taking a crack at on a minimum contract. 

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Former Top-10 picks always deserve a second-chance because they were drafted that high for a particular reason. The Mavericks, Knicks and Pistons may have failed to tap into his potential, but that does not mean another team cannot. Minnesota, Philadelphia, Portland, Washington and Cleveland are all teams who could be looking to add some backcourt depth, which is why one of them could take a chance on the 23-year-old guard.