NBA Trade News: Josh Smith Returns to Houston Rockets
Josh Smith is headed back to the team he last played for after the Los Angeles Clippers realized he wasn’t a fit to the ballclub’s outlook.
The Clippers dealt the forward back to the Houston Rockets in exchange for foreign players Serhiy Lischuk and Maarty Leunen, Yahoo! Sports reported. Aside from that, the Clippers will also be sending cash to the Rockets to settle the balance of Smith’s salary.
After playing a pivotal role for the Rockets in the playoffs, many felt that the 6-foot-9 forward had finally found a home in Houston.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Smith jumped ship and agreed to a veteran’s minimum salary with the hope of possibly figuring for an NBA title.
With a souped-up squad that included Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the Clips were looking pretty good. Add to that the coming of Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson, the Clippers were among the pre-tournament favorites.
Unfortunately, the team ended up sputtering and falling short of their goal. Smith was struggling together with Stephenson, so something had to be done at some point.
Stephenson was widely speculated to be the first one to be dealt but it turns out that Smith went first. Word about his possible departure was in the air as early as December but it was only now when the Clippers decided to pull the trigger.
"We decided to go in another direction and play Cole," Rivers said. "Cole performed well. We started winning games, and, you know, Josh was great in the locker room. He was great in practices. He was a professional.”
As it turns out, Smith goes back to the place where he shouldn’t have left in the first place. However, with all that academic at this point, he will once again need to adjust since there is a new head coach handling the ballclub.
Smith left with Kevin McHale at the helm. The NBA legend eventually got booted out early in the season with former assistant J.B. Bickerstaff taking over on an interim basis. As of this writing, the Rockets are 23-22.
"I am glad to be here," said Smith when he arrived at the Toyota Center before the team’s match against the Milwaukee Bucks, per ESPN.
Smith suited up against the Bucks and scored just 2 points in 20 minutes of action. The Rockets won that one, 102-98, which was a fitting welcome to the 30-year-old player’s return.
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