Woj: Josh Smith has committed to signing with the Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets were reported to be the clear frontrunners in the race to land ex-Piston Josh Smith when he clears waivers today at 5:00. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Smith has committed to Houston in advance:
Josh Smith has committed to signing with the Houston Rockets, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. He clears waivers at 5 PM today.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 24, 2014
Houston will be tough to beat, but Memphis eager to sell itself to Josh Smith once he clears waivers. Grizzlies trying hard for him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 24, 2014
So the Grizzlies surfaced as another team looking to make a run at Smith, but it appears he’ll be joining his former Atlanta high school teammate Dwight Howard in Houston.
The Kings, Mavericks, Clippers, Heat, and Lakers were all reported to have interest in signing Smith, who was recently waived by the Detroit Pistons. The Rockets are one of the teams that could only offer Smith the minimum salary after Detroit offsets their part, but in this case he’ll have a chance to compete for one of the many dangerous and formidable teams in the Western Conference. He plugs another option for Kevin McHale at power forward and adds more athleticism, versatility, and defense to the Rockets.
We’ll have more throughout the day as it looks like the decision has been made.