Josh Smith to sign with Clippers, per report

This free-agency period has really turned around for the Los Angeles Clippers. After seemingly losing center DeAndre Jordan to the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers were stunningly able to retain him after sending Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul to Houston.

Now, Los Angeles is about to add another veteran to the mix in Josh Smith, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. The deal is not yet done, but Smith appears headed to Lob City to help get the Clippers over the proverbial hump. Los Angeles has become a perennial playoff team, but is yet to advance to the Western Conference Finals after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Houston Rockets in the semifinals last season.

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Smith has bounced around the league over the past few seasons. The forward was originally a star for the Atlanta Hawks for the first nine seasons of his career after being taken straight from high school with the 17th-overall pick in 2004. Smith then signed a four-year, $56 million deal with the Detroit Pistons before the 2013-14 season, only to last parts of two seasons before being released.

The Pistons will be paying Smith $5.4 million for each season until the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign, allowing the Clippers to get him on the cheap. The 29-year-old veteran is still a useful player, scoring 12.0 points per game in 55 contests for the Rockets last year, starting seven games. For his career, Smith averages 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per night.

Smith should provide some ample depth in the front court to help spell Griffin and play alongside Matt Barnes. The knock on Smith can be drawing technical fouls and taking ridiculously bad shots, along with some spotty defense. With Paul on the roster, some of those problems should be alleviated unless Smith enjoys death stares and being yelled out in front of sold-out crowds.