It’s 2019 and the Detroit Pistons are still paying Josh Smith an insane amount of money.
The former NBA star signed a huge four-year, $54 million deal back in 2013, but would be waved at the end of 2014. In his first season with Detroit, Smith averaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
His attitude and numbers started to take a turn with the franchise, which ultimately led to a falling out with the team and his eventual release.
The Pistons opted to use the stretch provision to release Smith, basically taking the remaining years on his deal and multiplying it by two. So, the two years (about $27 million) that was left on his deal became $5.3 million paid out over five years.
The Pistons are due to pay Smith $5.3 million in 2019 and another $5.3 million in 2020.
Not a bad deal for a guy who has not played in the league since the 2017-2018 season, and even then, it was only for 4 games.
