“Even when I eventually went back to Minnesota after …

Smith ultimately signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the Detroit Pistons for the 2000-01 season before returning to Minneapolis. Still, the shadow of the scandal followed him for the rest of his career. "Even when I eventually went back to Minnesota after the fact, it was something I had to talk about all the time," Smith said. "I had to hear about it because of the draft picks the Timberwolves lost. I think I took more of the brunt of that hit than anybody. And it was much more my agent's doing than me having anything to do with it."