Houston Rockets

Josh Smith's minimum contract hardly a gamble for Clippers

Published Jul. 17, 2015 5:55 p.m. ET

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Josh Smith is now a Clipper, and man, the Clippers bench is deep compared to where it was at last year.

L.A. brought in Smith on a minimum deal, and as one of the world's best basketball writers Fred Katz explains at Bleacher Report, even with all the criticism he gets, that makes the move a non-gamble:

This is a minimum deal. There's no risk there.

That's the thing about basketball fans: We talk about how we like Player X and dislike Player Y, but in reality, we have to add context.

No general manager purely likes Player X or Y. He likes them for a price.

For a price.

That's a phrase we rarely add onto the end of such sentences, but one that is almost always necessary. And the public tends to form these opinions of players on big-money deals, which then stick with guys after the contracts are no longer around*.

Smith averaged 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds splitting time with the Pistons and Rockets last season. He will come off the bench for the Clippers.

(h/t Bleacher Report.)

Photo Credit: Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports