Clippers sign Josh Smith to reported 1-year, $1.5M deal
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The Los Angeles Clippers have signed unrestricted free agent Josh Smith, the team announced Thursday.
A deal was reported to be in the works earlier in the day, with Smith and the Clips closing in on what's believed to be a one-year deal at the $1.5-million veteran minimum. An announcement wasn't originally expected until Friday, but the team opted not to wait, touting the addition of Smith's versatility.
Short on salary cap and roster flexibility entering the offseason, the Clippers have made out surprisingly well. DeAndre Jordan committed an about-face to return, they jettisoned Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to roll the dice on Lance Stephenson, convinced Paul Pierce to reunite with head coach Doc Rivers, and added Wesley Johnson, Cole Aldrich, and Branden Dawson on team-friendly deals.
Adding Smith, a combo-forward who even spent time as a center for the Houston Rockets, improves the flexibility of the team's second unit and adds a defensive wing presence, should Smith remain engaged. Given that he reportedly had a standing offer from the Rockets and that a "defined role" helped swing his decision, an engaged Smith will probably be the one the Clippers receive.
While more money is always better - apologies to Biggie - Smith is still being paid handsomely by the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons waived Smith in December but still have to pay him the remaining $27 million owed to him through 2017, having used the stretch provision to spread the resultant cap hit out through 2020.
Smith then signed with Houston for the $2.1-million bi-annual exception, helping rehabilitate his market value. Or so it seemed.
The Rockets are said to have offered Smith more than the veteran minimum, which is all the Clippers could offer, but that was probably of little consequence to the former No. 17 pick. The NBA's offset protocol prevents Smith from earning more than the minimum plus the $5.4 million the Pistons are paying him in each of the next five seasons. Any dollar a team pays him above the minimum is just one less dollar Detroit is on the hook for.
The 29-year-old Smith remains a productive player and is an example of an exorbitant salary working to overstate how much a player's value has fallen. Smith averaged 12 points, six rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 55 games with the Rockets, and even knocked down 33 percent of his threes, a long-standing Smith weakness.
In 836 games for three teams over 11 seasons, the former Slam Dunk champion and All-Defensive Second Team member has averaged 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, two blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.