FRIDAY, 1:29pm: Miami is expected to have Smith in for a “workout/tryout” next week, tweets Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Smith said recently that he lost 21 pounds in a month, and the Heat have been encouraging him to shed weight, Winderman adds (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 10:34pm: The Heat have had discussions with undrafted free agent center Joshua Smith regarding a potential training camp invitation, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). Miami also reportedly agreed to a deal with combo guard Briante Weber earlier this evening, and currently possess one remaining open roster slot.
Smith, 23, finished his NCAA career at Georgetown after spending his first two seasons at UCLA, and he appeared in 33 games as a Senior, averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 20.5 minutes per night. His career collegiate numbers overall were 10.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 0.7 assists, and his career slash line was .591/.000/.613.
Miami may have designs on adding Smith for training camp for depth, and then plans to send him to its D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, though that is merely my speculation. The Heat’s current depth chart at the pivot has Hassan Whiteside firmly entrenched as the starter, with Amar’e Stoudemire and Chris Andersen in reserve. There have been reports that the team is shopping Andersen in an effort to reduce its luxury tax hit, but it has reportedly been finding a soft market for the Birdman’s services. Also in the mix at center for the Heat is training camp signee Keith Benson, though he also is more likely to end up in Sioux Falls than Miami when the regular season tips off.
If he can keep his weight in check, he could be a real player. He was a top recruit in high school.