Detroit Pistons Sign Free Agent Forward Josh Smith

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed free agent forward Josh Smith to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We’re pleased to welcome Josh Smith to the Pistons organization,” Dumars said. “Josh is a two-way player and we look forward to blending his talents with our young core.”

Smith joins the Pistons after spending the last nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks where he averaged 15.3 points (.465 FG%, .283 3FG%, .654 FT%), 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 blocks , 1.3 steals and 34.1 minutes in 676 career games (654 starts). He’s the 24th player in NBA history (seventh active player) to tally 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 2,000 assists and 1,000 blocked shots. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Smith is the only player in NBA history to boast career averages of at least 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

The 27-year-old Atlanta native has appeared in 52 playoff games (all starts) during six trips to the NBA Playoffs averaging 15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.2 steals and 36.0 minutes per game. Smith holds playoff career highs of 28 points (4/28/08 vs. Boston), 18 rebounds (4/29/12 vs. Boston), nine assists (four times) and seven blocks – a Hawks’ franchise record previously shared by Tree Rollins and Dikembe Mutombo.

The 6-9, 225-pound forward tallied 29 double-doubles last season, ranked ninth in the NBA in blocks (1.8 bpg) and was one of two players to average at least 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists (LeBron James). In 2010-11, Smith finished second in the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year voting and scored a season-best 34 points on a season-high 14-of-16 from the field (2-2 3FG) vs. New Jersey (12/7). According to Elias Sports Bureau, he was the first Hawks player to score that many points on that high of a field goal percentage (87.5%) in over 55 years – since Hall-of-Famer Bob Pettit scored 34 (12-13 FG) on 3/14/55. In 2005-06 Smith became only the fourth Hawks player – and first non-center – to post 200 blocks in one season, joining Mutombo, Rollins and Theo Ratliff. Finally, in 2004-05, he won the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in Denver and rejected an NBA season-high 10 shots at Dallas (12/18), becoming the youngest player in league history to record 10 blocks in a game since the stat began being recorded in 1973-74.

Smith finishes his time in Atlanta among Hawks’ top-10 franchise leaders in 10 categories including points (10,371 – eighth), rebounds (5.407 – seventh), blocks (1,440 – second), steals (857 – fifth), offensive rebounds (1,409 – sixth), defensive rebounds (3,998 – third), double-doubles (207, fourth), field goals made (4,030 – seventh), free throws made (2,044 – ninth) and games played (676 – ninth). He has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice during his career (December 2007 and December 2012) as well as a member of the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team (2009-10) and All-Rookie Second Team (2004-05).