Real Madrid has been one of the most successful EuroLeague basketball teams for quite some time. NBA fans would be well aware of players they have rostered, both past and present. It now seems like another familiar name to those fans will be joining their roster, one that participated in two Slam Dunk Contests. It has been reported by Carlos Sanchez Blas that seven-year NBA veteran Dennis Smith Jr. is nearing a deal with Real Madrid.
2017 Lottery Pick Close To Deal With Real Madrid
Dennis Smith Jr. Appears To Be Heading Overseas To Play With Real Madrid
The ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Smith Jr. played one season collegiately at North Carolina State. Smith Jr. has played each of the last seven seasons in the NBA. In 2023-24, the 27-year-old was a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Playing in 56 games (two starts), he posted averages of 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 18.9 minutes. Smith Jr. finished the season shooting 43.5% from the field, 29.4% from beyond the arc, and 74.1% from the foul line.
The 2017 lottery pick started his career looking like he could possibly become one of the better point guards in the league. In his rookie season of 2017-18 with the Dallas Mavericks, the 6-foot-2 guard finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting and made the All-Rookie Second Team. He averaged what is still a career-high 15.2 points that season. There was an interview where LeBron James insinuated that the New York Knicks made a big mistake drafting Frank Ntilikina over him.
The only other one where he averaged double-digit scoring was the following season when Smith Jr. averaged 13.6 while splitting the year with the Mavericks and Knicks. His career-high scoring output came with New York on February 8, 2019 when he had a 31-point outing against the Detroit Pistons.
Other than the Mavericks, Knicks, and Nets, Smith Jr. also donned the jersey of the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, and Charlotte Hornets in his NBA career. In 326 career games (152 starts), he owns career averages of 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 steals. He has career shooting splits of 40.7/29.8/67.4.
Joining A Roster Full Of Former NBA Players
This will be Smith Jr.’s first experience playing overseas professionally. He is joining a Real Madrid team that is not in the midst of one of their better seasons with an 11-9 record. The team has numerous former NBA players on their roster currently. They include Facundo Campazzo, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Mario Hezonja, Gabriel Deck, Dzanan Musa, Usman Garbuba, and Edy Tavares. Serge Ibaka was also previously on the roster, but he left the team in late December. They also roster Sergio Llull, who has broken the record for both most EuroLeague appearances and minutes this season.
While Smith Jr. likely was hoping to continue his NBA career, he remained unsigned throughout the offseason as well as since the 2024-25 season has begun. He’s still young enough (doesn’t turn 28 until November 25) that a good showing with a high-profile international team could potentially put him back on the radar of NBA teams.
