The Houston Rockets have signed Josh Smith after he was waived by the Detroit Pistons and now Smith will join one of the top teams in the league alongside longtime friend Dwight Howard as the team tries to win an NBA championship.
Smith signed with the Rockets on Wednesday after clearing waivers and he opted for the team after the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies all showed interest in him. ESPN.com reported the news and Smith said that he was looking to join a contending team and that he felt excited to play with Howard. The Rockets did not announce the move, but Smith already made comments to a local station about Houston and Howard.
The Rockets play their next game on Friday against the Grizzlies at home and Smith could be in the lineup for the team. The Pistons previously signed Smith to a four year deal worth $54 million and they waived him with over $20 million left owed to him on the deal. Smith was averaging 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this season with the Pistons, but he was shooting just 39 percent from the floor. Smith said that he was looking to play for a team heading to the playoffs and the Rockets have been one of the best in the west.
According to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, Smith was assured that he would be starting for the Rockets if he signed with the team and that is likely what drew him to Houston. Smith gives the team another strong scoring option after Chandler Parson left and they are already ranked third in the league in points allowed per game and are scoring 100 points per contest. The Rockets are 20-7 this season and second in the southwest division.
The Detroit Pistons waived Josh Smith and teams like the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks were interested in signing the forward. Many expected he would clears waivers because of the high amount of money on his contract and now he comes in as a strong offensive option and will be attractive alongside Howard and James Harden.
