Pistons to pursue Josh Smith

Marc Stein (in the parentheses and caps):

"RT @ramonashelburne: Josh Smith expected to have 5-6 suitors when free agency begins (HEARING DETROIT IS GONNA BE ONE OF THOSE 5-6)"

Josh Smith is a better power forward than small forward, but aside from Andre Iguodala, Smith might play small forward right now better than any other free agent. The Pistons, who seem set on making the playoffs next season regardless of long-term effects, could really use Smith to help achieve that goal.

The issue is they’d be bidding against teams that would play Smith at power forward, making him more valuable to those other teams. So, there’s little chance the Pistons could sign Smith without overpaying him.

Signing Smith probably comes down to what the Pistons prioritize: getting good value in free agency or getting good players in free agency. At this stage of rebuilding, I’d prioritize good value over good players, but, with Joe Dumars’ contract expiring and Tom Gores stressing the short term, I doubt the Pistons will show such patience.