NBA veteran forward Josh Smith has not been able to sign a contract this 2016-2017 season and is still waiting for an offer from any of the 30 NBA teams. For the first time in his 12-year career, he finds himself a free agent.
NBA enthusiasts believe that Smith still has the skills and talent to make it, but is experiencing a setback because of his character on and off the court, according to Yahoo Sports.
Smith was one of NBA's most explosive and versatile players during his first nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Smith helped the Hawks reach the playoffs multiple times but his performance declined when he left Atlanta to sign a multi-million contract with the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons dropped Smith in 2014 after only one season.
Smith signed last season with the Los Angeles Clippers and was traded to the Houston Rockets in January but the Rockets decided not to renew his contract after. Critics pointed out that the Rockets extremely struggled on the defensive end whenever Smith was on the floor and believed this might be the reason why the former all-star was not offered a contract by the end of the season, according to Hoops Habit.
In a recent interview, Smith believes that he still has what it takes to play in the NBA and that he has a lot more to give to the game. He said he trained hard this summer before the start of the season and even worked harder on improving himself as a whole. He also expressed his desire to stay in the NBA and did not want to play overseas as it would seem as an act of desperation.
In a report by HoopRumors, 30-year-old Smith turned down a huge offer to go to China to play this season. Smith said that his main goal is to be in the NBA and help a team to be competitive. While he conceded that he might no longer be a starting five type of player, Smith insisted that he can still contribute in so many ways to the NBA.
Do you still want to see Smith play in the NBA? Should the NBA give Smith another chance?
