The Miami Heat have been off to a tough start this season and now Josh Smith could be an option to sign as a free agent once he clears waivers, while the team may look at trade deals with Jeff Green, Lance Stephenson, Dion Waiters, Darren Collison or Brook Lopez at the deadline to give Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng some support.
Miami has been up and down this season in the eastern conference and they are still adjusting to life without LeBron James after he left to sign with the Cavaliers. The two teams are playing on Christmas for James's return to South Beach and heading into that game, Miami is looking to get things going in the right direction. They are fine because the east is not as tough as the west, but at two games under .500 they need to improve and Smith now could be a target after he was waived by the Pistons.
According to ESPN.com, the Clippers, Rockets and Miami Heat are all interested in signing Smith along with the Dallas Mavericks, as he was waived by the Detroit Pistons. Smith was waived for a number of reasons, including his contract, his skills on the court meshing with the team along with some attitude problems and now Detroit will be on the hook for a ton of money. Smith will clear waivers because of his contract and that means he will be able to sign with any team.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Clippers, Mavericks and Houston Rockets are interested in signing Smith, while ESPN.com writes that Miami is also preparing to make a run at him. ESPN reports that the Heat put in a request for a Disabled Player Exception after Josh McRoberts injured his knee, as he will be out for the season. The exception would allow Miami to offer more to Smith on a contract, as they can now only give the $1.4 million veteran minimum contract. Jeff Green, Lance Stephenson and Dion Waiters have all been mentioned as potential trade options this season on the market.
The Rockets are the favorites right now, as they are a contender and Smith has a close relationship with Dwight Howard. The Rockets have a biannual exception available at $2.1 million according to ESPN.com, while the Mavericks also could be an option, as Smith is close with Rajon Rondo, who was just traded to Dallas. Miami is 13-15 on the season and they will play the Sixers ahead of the matchup with James and the Cavs. The team is ranked 25th in scoring this season and adding Smith at that price could give the team a major boost in the east.
Smith comes in averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this season and now the Pistons are on the hook for a ton of money. Smith was waived with $30 million and two years left on his contract and he now is out after signing four-year, $54 million deal with the Pistons before last season. Smith is an offensive threat, but he has not played that well for the team over the past two seasons, including shooting just 39 percent from the floor this year. The Pistons now will use the stretch provision to help with the cap hit on the money he is owed.
