It was 2:55 a.m. in Houston when Ish Smith first heard the following three words directed toward him: You've been traded.
It was 2010, and Smith, a rookie with the Houston Rockets, was in bed when his cell phone rang.
He and veteran Shane Battier were being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
"That was the first time I realized it was real," the 76ers point guard said Wednesday after practice. "I was like, 'Oh, [I'm not] going to be in Houston for the rest of my career."
At the time, it was new territory for Smith, who has played for nine teams through his first six NBA seasons.