Dru Smith’s perseverance has won him a lot of fans in the Miami Heat front office. The Heat liked him enough that right as the 2023-24 season was starting, they converted his two-way contract to a regular one, but then he ended up missing most of that season with a right knee injury (and was waived at the trade deadline). Smith bounced back and signed another two-way contract with the Heat for last season and in 14 games with the big club averaged 6.2 points a game off the bench as a sniper from 3 and strong on-ball defender, then in December he tore his Achilles and missed the remainder of last season.
Miami is bringing the restricted free agent Smith back for this season and hoping he stays healthy.
This was announced as a three-year contract by ESPN’s Shams Charania, but only the first year is fully guaranteed. This contract is for the veteran minimum, worth a total of $7.9 million if he plays all three years of the deal.
Smith’s recovery is reportedly going so well that there is optimism he will be ready for the start of the NBA season. Smith is going to have to earn rotation minutes on a team that is expected to start Tyler Herro and Norman Powell at the guard spots, with Terry Rozier and just-drafted Kasparas Jakucionis in the rotation behind them.
Smith is Miami’s 14th contract. It’s interesting that after the reports of reserve big men working out for the team recently — Kai Jones and Trey Lyles — and now will enter the season with just Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware as centers on the roster.