JOSH SMITH RETURNS TO THE ROCKETS
The Houston Rockets acquired forward/center Josh Smith, the rights to forward/center Sergei Lishchuk and cash from the Los Angeles Clippers for the rights to power forward Maarty Leunen.
What does it give the Houston Rockets
After stumbling out of the gate this season and eventually jettisoning longtime head coach Kevin McHale, the 22-22 Rockets are looking for a spark to keep them in the Western Conference playoff hunt. Cue Smith, a player who enjoyed a bit of a resurgence with Houston last season before heading to the Clips over the summer. Smith should step in and immediately provide much-needed depth at all three frontcourt positions (and it won't be surprising if he ends up starting). This is a low-cost, solid-upside add for the Rockets. It will be shocking if Lishchuk (now in his 30's and playing in Europe) joins the NBA.
What does it give the Los Angeles Clippers
Like Lishchuk, Leunen is an aging (30) former prospect who currently toils in Europe and doesn't appear set to play a role anytime soon (if ever) in the NBA. The Clips are adding him here simply to complete the league's base requirement that teams receive an asset in all trades. This is more about addition by the subraction of Smith, who by all accounts wasn't a good fit on or off the court with L.A. Plus, the Clips save about $2 million in luxury tax with this move.
Fantasy impact
Smith gets a definite fantasy upgrade thanks to the deal, based on his passable production last season with a similarly-constructed Rockets squad. Expect him to produce solid numbers of blocks and 3-pointers, while cutting into whatever fantasy value currently possessed by Clint Capela, Terrence Jones, and Donatas Motiejunas. For the Clippers, little changes fantasy-wise since Smith was barely playing for L.A. lately.
