The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with former Philadelphia 76ers guard Zhaire Smith, according to a Friday tweet from HoopsHype NBA writer Michael Scotto.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Zhaire Smith, agent Adie von Gontard of @YMAPAAsports told @hoopshype,” Scotto wrote. “Smith was the No. 16 overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.”
Smith played in six games and started in two for the 76ers during the 2018-19 season. He played in one season for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, earning averages of 11.2 points and five rebounds per game for a Texas Tech squad that made it to the Elite Eight before falling to the Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson-led Villanova Wildcats.
Smith played for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2023 NBA Summer League. He joined a roster that featured a handful of former first-round selections, including center Chet Holmgren, forward Jalen Williams, guard Tre Mann and forward Ousmane Dieng.
Exhibit 10 contracts, which were introduced in the league’s 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, are one-year contracts worth the league minimum that can be converted into two-way contracts before the regular season begins, according to an August article from NBC Sports Bay Area’s Tom Dierberger. The Cavs signed forward Pete Nance to an Exhibit 10 deal in June.
The Cavs announced the signings of Nance, guards Sharife Cooper and Justin Powell to their training camp roster in a Wednesday release. Cleveland’s roster features guards Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill as a few of its options at the two guard. The Cavs re-signed LeVert to a two-year, $32 million contract in the offseason after he played in 74 games and started in 30 for Cleveland last season. Merrill, who played in five games for the Cavaliers during the 2022-23 season, is playing on a non-guaranteed contract. Guard Craig Porter Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Cavs in July.