The Los Angeles Clippers added firepower in their roster Thursday signing forward Josh Smith to a one-year veterans minimum deal worth $1.5 million.
Smith played last season for the Houston Rockets who faced a 3-1 series lead against the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs but still managed to win the series.
The Rockets acquired Smith after the Detroit Pistons waived him last December and everything has gone well for him since then.
He played in 55 regular season games for the Rockets averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks.
In the playoffs last season, Smith improved his performance averaging 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 block per game in 17 postseason appearances.
The 29-year-old athlete has been crucial to the Rockets' playoff campaign and came up huge against the Clippers in the second round. Unfortunately, they fell to the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals.
Smith, who was drafted 17th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2004, can provide explosiveness for Los Angeles and can shoot from anywhere in the field.
Last season with Houston, Smith was urged to shoot threes because it worked well with their offense and it became part of his arsenal.
In a report by ESPN, Smith said he enjoyed playing under Rockets head coach Kevin McHale who allowed him to have "individuality" with the team's offense, which he was unable to do with the Pistons.
Smith's signing with the Clippers came as a surprise to some since he said in previous statements that he wants to continue playing for McHale with childhood friend Rockets center Dwight Howard.
A part of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2010, Smith also takes pride in his defensive skills as he was the youngest player to record 1,000 blocks.
Smith was the 25th player in the NBA to tally over 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 2,000 assists, and 1,000 blocks.
The Clippers re-signing center DeAndre Jordan and adding Smith have strengthened their frontline and the addition of veteran Paul Pierce has just made them one of the early favorites to win the title next season.
