Philadelphia considered taking Colorado State’s Jason Smith with the 12th pick Thursday. When the ex-Ram was still on the board as the Sixers’ 21st pick approached, club president Billy King paid a premium to get Smith in a draft-pick swap with Miami.
Philadelphia gave up a future second round pick and undisclosed cash to take Smith from Miami.
“The next big guy on our board was Jason Smith and that’s why we made the maneuver with Miami to get him,” King said. “We didn’t want to take that chance that they would take him.”
Smith will be formally introduced Saturday in Philadelphia. He’ll find one familiar face on the roster: former Mountain West rival Louis Amundson of UNLV, who signed as a free agent late in the season when he was called up from the Colorado 14ers. Amundson is a graduate of Louisville’s Monarch High School.
