NBA free agency is just hours away, and there is now another free agent in the pool, as the Minnesota Timberwolves announced on Thursday night that they have waived Greg Smith, who was brought in at the end of the season and did not see much playing time.
Initially signed to 10-day contracts
Smith was initially signed on March 2 to a 10-day contract just as a precaution in case of injuries. When the first contract expired, he was signed to a second one, then when that one was expired, he was signed for the rest of the season.
In his short stint with Minnesota, Smith played in just 18 games while averaging 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Smith has five years of NBA experience, as he came into the league in 2011-12 with the Houston Rockets. After spending three years with them, he ended up with the Dallas Mavericks, who had him for one season before releasing him. He then did not play for most of the 2015-16 season until the Wolves came calling in March.
His best season came in 2012-13 with Houston when he played in 70 games and averaged 15.9 minutes per game. In those minutes, he averaged six points and four rebounds per game.
Smith will now remain on waivers for a week, and if he is not claimed, he will become an unrestricted free agent. If he is claimed, then the claiming team will assume the remainder of his contract, which is for the league minimum. It is unlikely that a team would put in a claim on him, according to multiple reports.
The move clears a tiny bit of cap room for the Timberwolves, but they are still not expected to make any major moves once free agency begins.