Josh Smith is heading to Los Angeles to join the team he helped knock out of this past season’s playoffs, as first reported by RealGM:
Free agent Josh Smith has reached agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 16, 2015
Josh Smith’s agent has confirmed the report, so this is definitely happening. Smith is a gifted, versatile if maddeningly inconsistent two-way player, and he’ll be the primary big man off the bench behind Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Smith’s fireworks late in the Western Conference Semifinals helped key the Houston Rockets’ comeback to take the series from the Los Angeles Clippers, and his signing adds depth on the frontline that was simply nonexistent for LA last season. Mark Berman reports that the deal is one year in length, and given the Clippers’ tight salary cap situation and Josh Smith’s Pistons deal that’s still paying him, his bargain-basement contract is no surprise:
Smith had bigger offers, but took 1yr vet minimum deal in LA.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 16, 2015
Smoove gets a lot of grief for his shot selection, and it will be fun to see how quickly Clipper crowds start yelling “NOOOOO” when he launches early in the shot clock, but he can be a huge asset for a team who — like a healthy Clippers group — won’t have to depend on him for offense. His passing ability and defensive versatility might be a real puzzle piece for the Clippers to finally reach into the Conference Finals and beyond.
(Via RealGM and Mark Berman)
