The Miami Heat have shown interest in Josh Smith after he was waived by the Pistons and that could be a solid option for some support for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh just as they are getting ready to play LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Christmas Day matchup that has the King returning to his former territory in South Beach for the first time.
Miami has been off to an up and down start this season and it appears that the team is still adjusting to James leaving town. Wade and Bosh have played well, but overall the team is under .500 and the offense has not been scoring as many points as last season. Smith now is a target for the team and it comes after the Heat lost Josh McRoberts to an injury that will keep him out all season. According to ESPN.com, the Heat have applied for a Disabled Player Exception and if they get it, it would allow the team to offer Smith a contract over the veterans minimum.
Right now Miami can only offer Smith the minimum and it comes as he is getting interest from the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and LA Clippers as well as the Dallas Mavericks. Reports have the Rockets and Mavericks as the top options for Smith, as he is friendly with both Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo. ESPN.com writes that if Miami gets the Disabled Player Exception, they will be able to offer Smith more than the Rockets can on a contract.
The Pistons signed Smith to a four year deal a couple years ago at over $50 million and Stan Van Gundy opted to let him go despite the fact that Detroit over him over $25 million guaranteed. The move signals that Detroit was tired of Smith and his attitude issues and it also highlighted his struggles this past couple seasons. Smith has always been an offensive player and while he wasn't terrible in his time with the Pistons, he was no All-Star either.
This season Smith was averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting less than 40 percent from the field and last year he was only at 42 percent. Miami is ranked in the bottom half of the league in points scored per game and adding a player like Smith could help open things up for Wade, Bosh and Luol Deng in the offense. The Cavaliers are coming to town on Christmas Day and while they have struggled to start the season, they have a better record than Miami does.
ESPN.com reports that the Clippers, Grizzlies, Kings, Mavericks and Rockets all are interested in Smith and he could be cleared on waivers by Wednesday. Those teams will all make runs along with Miami and the Kings could be a sleeper option after they tried hard to trade for Smith this past summer. Smith has a relationship with Howard and that could bring him to Houston, while Smith and Rondo are also close and this comes as Rondo was just traded to the Mavericks. Miami can offer more money than Houston, as they have the $2.1 million biannual exception for the forward.