Former Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith traded to G-League Memphis Hustle

After pit stops in the Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest, former Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith will resume his professional basketball career down south this season.

Smith, who spent time last season with the G League Rip City Remix (Portland Trail Blazers) and Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee Bucks), was acquired by the Memphis Hustle (Memphis Grizzlies) on Wednesday as part of a six-team trade.

The trade sends Smith back to Tennessee, the state where he spent the majority of his college career, playing three seasons at Chattanooga between stops at Wright State and Gonzaga.

After going undrafted in 2023, Smith played for the Trail Blazers during Las Vegas Summer League and joined the G League Rip City Remix during the team’s inaugural season.

Smith averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 29.8 minutes in 14 games at the G League Showcase, but played in just one regular-season game for Rip City before he was traded to the Wisconsin Herd, reuniting him with former Gonzaga teammate Drew Timme.

The former GU guard then played in 27 games for Wisconsin, averaging 9.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 45% from the field and 42% from the 3-point line.

Smith practiced with the Grizzlies’ Summer League squad in Memphis but did not travel with the team to Las Vegas.

As part of the trade that sent Smith to Memphis’ G League affiliate, the Hustle also acquired the player rights of Alexey Borges and Devin Cannady while also earning a second-round pick in 2025.

Smith was the West Coast Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year during his lone season at Gonzaga in 2022-23, averaging 8.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.4 apg for the Zags, who lost to eventual national champion UConn in the Elite Eight.