Memphis basketball forward Tyreek Smith to leave Tigers

One of Penny Hardaway’s offseason acquisitions could leave Memphis before the regular season even starts.

Tyreek Smith, who transferred from SMU to the Tigers in May, is no longer expected to be with the program, a source close to the situation told Bluff City Media Sunday.

The source says that Smith, a 6-foot-8 forward, is disgruntled over not being in the starting lineup in last Tuesday’s Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic exhibition against No. 9 North Carolina, where he recorded 8 points on 75% shooting.

Nick Jourdain, Memphis’ only returning scholarship player, started instead and put up 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in the Tigers’ 84-76 loss.

Smith is also unhappy with his NIL compensation, though he has been receiving his payments on time via FedEx since arriving on campus this summer.

Smith and Memphis are currently working to find a resolution for these issues, according to the source.

The 24-year-old averaged 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 58.4% shooting last season for Rob Lanier’s Mustangs. He made 13 starts in 33 appearances in 2023-24, and helped SMU advance to National Invitational Tournament (NIT) before losing to Indiana State in the first round.

Smith also had two solid outings against Memphis throughout the campaign. He led SMU with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks during Jan. 7’s showdown inside FedExForum, which the Mustangs lost 62-59 thanks to a last-second bomb by Jahvon Quinerly. Lanier’s club demolished Memphis 106-79 on Feb. 18 inside Moody Coliseum, where Smith recorded 10 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

Smith’s college career has also featured stops at both Texas Tech (2020-21) and Oklahoma State (2021-23) respectively. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native put up 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while making nine starts for the Cowboys in 2022-23.

His departure would trim Memphis’ frontcourt to three players—Jourdain, Dain Dainja and Moussa Cisse, who didn’t play against North Carolina due to a groin injury.

The Tigers play No. 2 Alabama in another exhibition on Oct. 28 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama before beginning the regular season at home against Missouri on Nov. 4.

This story is ongoing and will be updated as more information becomes available.