NBA Free Agency: Should San Antonio Spurs Sign Ish Smith?

Ish Smith looks to push the books with his 14th team, but are the San Antonio Spurs the right fit?

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the youngest teams in the league, which is both a positive and a negative. Only Doug McDermott and Khem Birch are older than 30, and Birch might not be on the team for much longer. One way to combat the lack of experience is to sign cheap free agents. One of the standout vets is point guard Ish Smith, who is coming off a championship with the Denver Nuggets.

Smith, 35, is the premier NBA journeyman. He has played for a record 13 basketball teams in his 13 seasons, often spending only half a year in a given city. Rarely a starter, his peak was his time with the 76ers, where he started 64 games and scored 13.8 points per game. There was a brief stint in New Orleans between times in the City of Brotherly Love.

Throughout his career, Smith has established himself as a bench glue guy on good teams and a decent lead guard on bad teams. The Spurs, despite having elite young talent, are still facing some growing pains, so usually veteran talent would be sought after.

Ish Smith was an NBA champion alongside Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets last season.  / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Unlike the “Process” Sixers, the Washington Wizards, or the pre-Devin Booker Suns, the Spurs already have a defensive-minded floor general who can’t shoot from deep. Ish Smith has never been a shooting threat, nor has Tre Jones. 

Jones has already developed into a better version of Smith, and there’s no sense in the Spurs having two types of the same player. Behind Jones is the electric Malaki Branham, the high-ceiling Blake Wesley, and even Devontae’ Graham. In a young and crowded backcourt, there isn’t room for Smith.

On top of having plenty of conventional guard talent, the Spurs have experimented with Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Victor Wembanyama running point. As the Spurs transition to positionless basketball, adding a relic of the mid-2010s simply seems counterintuitive.