Nets Exercise Team Option On Malachi Smith

The Nets are exercising their minimum-salary team option on Malachi Smith, who signed a two-year contract with the team in April, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).

The option is worth $2,150,917, but picking it up doesn’t necessarily lock in that amount on Brooklyn’s cap for 2026/27. Smith’s salary will remain non-guaranteed until the league-wide salary guarantee deadline in January, so if the Nets need a little extra cap room or decide not to carry him on the regular season roster, he could still be waived without leaving any money on the team’s books.

Smith, who went undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023, has spent most of his first three professional seasons in the G League, but was called up by Brooklyn during the second half of 2025/26, first on a pair of 10-day deals and then on a standard contract.

The 26-year-old played a regular role for a lottery-bound Nets team down the stretch and was relatively productive in his first 15 NBA games (four starts), averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 23.9 minutes per night on .485/.435/1.000 shooting.

Smith’s is the only one of four team options that the Nets are picking up. The club is declining Day’Ron Sharpe‘s and Josh Minott‘s options in order to re-sign them to new two-year contracts and also passed on Ziaire Williams‘ $6.25MM option.