NBA journeyman Smith rejoins struggling 76ers

Ish Smith, a journeyman guard on 11 teams since his NBA debut in 2010, returned to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 76ers, losers in 30 of their 31 games this season, sent two second round NBA draft picks to the Pelicans in exchange for Smith. Philadelphia waived guard Tony Wroten to make room for Smith on the roster.

Smith is the only player in the NBA with at least 150 assists and 45 or fewer turnovers. He has played in 27 games for the Pelicans this season, averaging 8.9 points and 5.7 assists a game.

He ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.42-to-1) and sixth in assists per 48 minutes (12.0) in the NBA.

Last season, Smith averaged 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and one steal a game for the 76ers, whose next game is Saturday at Phoenix.

Wroten played in only eight games this season due to injuries. He was averaging 8.4 points, about half what he averaged last season.
Source: AFP