Josh Smith has played a grand total of 12 NBA minutes over the last two seasons. He’ll earn only a few thousand dollars less than DeMarcus Cousins in 2018-19.
Cousins agreed to a one-year contract to join the Golden State Warriors, who took advantage of the taxpayer mid-level exception to get “Boogie” on the books. The exact value of that deal is $5,337,000.
Smith, meanwhile, is set to receive $5,331,729 from the Pistons.
In 2014, Detroit used the stretch provision to release Smith. As a result, the remaining money on his four-year, $54 million contract was “stretched” over a five-year span and landed on the above price.
So yes, the NBA washout who scored two points for the New Orleans Pelicans last year will be paid similar money to Cousins, who tallied 1,210.
Worst of all for the Pistons, that $54 million mistake will continue to haunt them past 2018-19. They’ll also shell out $5,331,729 to Smith during the 2019-20 campaign before that nightmare is finally over.
Cousins will likely sign a large contract next offseason, but it’s remarkable to compare his upcoming salary to Smith’s situation.