Real Madrid Signs 22-Year-Old NBA First-Round Pick Nick Smith Jr. for 2026–27
The former Hornets and Lakers guard leaves the NBA after three seasons to begin his first European chapter with Real Madrid, adding another scoring option to Pedro Martínez’s backcourt.
Basketball Daily
Nick Smith Jr. is officially a Real Madrid player.
Real Madrid Baloncesto announced Wednesday, September 16, that it has signed Nick Smith Jr. through the end of the 2026–27 season, completing a move that brings another young NBA talent into the EuroLeague.
The agreement had been widely anticipated over the weekend, but Madrid's announcement makes the transaction official. Smith also completed his medical examination at Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital on Wednesday.
At just 22 years old, Smith arrives in Europe with three seasons of NBA experience and a first-round draft pedigree. Real Madrid says he appeared in 147 NBA games across his time with the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers.
For Madrid, the move is another significant piece in a reshaped roster heading into the new EuroLeague season.
For Smith, it is something more unusual: a player still early in his career choosing one of Europe's biggest clubs rather than continuing to search for an NBA role.
From NBA First-Round Pick to Madrid
Smith entered the NBA with significant expectations.
Charlotte selected him with the 27th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after one season at Arkansas. His most productive NBA campaign came during his second year with the Hornets, when he averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 60 games, including 27 starts.
Charlotte waived him before the 2025–26 season, and Smith subsequently joined the Lakers.
His role in Los Angeles was smaller. He averaged 6.2 points in 30 regular-season appearances, shooting 43.5% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range. The Lakers initially signed him on a two-way contract before converting the deal to a standard NBA contract in April.
Los Angeles eventually declined his option for the upcoming season, opening the door for a move elsewhere.
Instead of joining another NBA depth chart, Smith chose Madrid.
Pedro Martínez Urges Patience
Real Madrid coach Pedro Martínez effectively confirmed the move before the club's formal announcement and offered an important warning about expectations surrounding his newest guard.
"He is coming," Martínez told AS before Smith completed his medical, while cautioning that Madrid should not expect the young American to immediately produce huge scoring performances every night.
That may prove important.
Smith is entering European basketball for the first time. Adjusting to EuroLeague spacing, defensive schemes, officiating and a different role within a veteran team can take time even for players with NBA experience.
Madrid also does not need him to carry the offense alone.
Smith joins a backcourt that already includes Facundo Campazzo, Théo Maledon, Andrés Feliz and Sergio Llull, giving Martínez multiple options for ball-handling and shot creation.
Smith's appeal is different: youth, scoring upside and the possibility that his best basketball is still ahead of him.
A Different Kind of NBA-to-EuroLeague Move
European contenders regularly sign players with NBA experience, but Smith's age makes this move particularly interesting.
He turned 22 in April. He isn't a veteran arriving in Europe after exhausting his NBA opportunities, nor is he a former star looking for one final major contract.
He is a player who was a first-round pick only three years ago.
Across his NBA career, Smith has averaged 7.6 points per game, while shooting 37.4% from three-point range.
His challenge in Madrid will be converting flashes of offensive talent into reliable production for a team where every possession carries expectations.
The move also arrives at an intriguing moment for Real Madrid. The club is preparing for the inaugural EuroLeague SuperCup in Abu Dhabi on September 18–19 and will soon begin another campaign in which anything short of competing for major trophies will be judged harshly.
Smith's immediate availability for the SuperCup has not been clearly established in Madrid's announcement, so it would be premature to assume he will play this weekend.
Smith Had Already Teased the Move
Madrid's official confirmation did not come as a surprise to Smith's followers.
Before the club announced the deal, Smith posted an edited image of himself wearing a Real Madrid uniform on his Instagram account, accompanied simply by the Spanish greeting "Hola."
The post drew reactions from several NBA players, including former Lakers teammate Bronny James, as well as LaMelo Ball, Jake LaRavia and new Madrid teammate Théo Maledon.
Now the social-media teaser has become an official transaction.
And for one of Europe's biggest clubs, it represents a fascinating bet.
Real Madrid isn't signing Nick Smith Jr. for what he accomplished in the NBA. It is signing him for what a 22-year-old former first-round pick might still become.