Josh Smith, released by the Pistons, has no shortage of suitors.
The Rockets, Mavericks, Clippers, Kings and Heat all reportedly have interest.
Though Houston considers itself the front-runner, one other team also wants in the mix – the Lakers.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:
Josh Smith should become an unrestricted free agent at 5pm EST today - however sources close to him say a decision on next team could linger
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) December 24, 2014
Houston, Dallas, Miami, Lakers and Kings are all very much in the game on Smith - all offering things that interest Smith.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) December 24, 2014
.@BlameDraymond: Clippers in there? ---> were not mentioned by source, but that doesn't mean anything.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) December 24, 2014
Announcement: ProBasketballTalk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $300,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Christmas Day’s NBA games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $30,000. Starts at 12pm ET on Thursday. Here’s the FanDuel link.
Even if Miami gets a disabled-player exception for Josh McRoberts, whom the Heat said is probably out for the season, they couldn’t offer as much as the Lakers, who are armed with Steve Nash’s disabled-player exception.
Here’s how much each team could offer Smith for the rest of the season – both in terms of cost to the team and money toward Smith after the Pistons set off a portion of his new salary – if he signs tonight:
| Team | Cost to team | Extra money for Smith |
| Lakers | $4,850,500 | $2,833,491 |
| Heat | $2,652,500 | $1,734,491 |
| Rockets | $2,077,000 | $1,446,741 |
| Mavericks | $608,367 | $889,651 |
| Clippers | $608,367 | $889,651 |
| Kings | $608,367 | $889,651 |
The Lakers have the worst record among those teams, so their best pitch is financial – unless Smith appreciates the comedic potential of him joining a team that already features Kobe Bryant, Nick Young and Carlos Boozer.