Getty Dru Smith #9 of the Miami Heat.
According to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, former Miami Heat guard Dru Smith signed a deal to join the Brooklyn Nets on January 13. Charania Reported that Smith agreed to a two-way contract with Brooklyn after averaging 18 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds for Miami’s G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season.
The Brooklyn Nets are signing G League Sioux Falls guard Dru Smith to a two-way NBA contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Smith has played five games for the Heat this season and is averaging 18 points, 6.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds in G League.
Smith made five NBA appearances for the Heat as well. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1 assists per game this year.
Dru Smith racked up 15 points and one incredible hook pass
The Heat had signed Smith to a two-way contract back on November 25, but later waived him in favor of rookie-center Orlando Robinson on December 11.
OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT have signed Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract and have waived Dru Smith.
The 25-year-old went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, after averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in his senior season at Missouri.
Smith joins an ascending Nets team that recently ripped off a 12-game winning streak. Brooklyn sits in second place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the first place Boston Celtics.
Unfortunately for the Nets, they’ll be missing star forward Kevin Durant for about a month, while he recovers from a sprained right MCL. Durant was injured during the January 8 matchup against the Heat, when he collided with star forward Jimmy Butler and landed awkwardly on the knee.
Orlando Robinson Shines for Heat
Durant’s injury wasn’t the only story from the recent matchup between Miami and Brooklyn. That game also saw Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra elect to play Robinson, who the team kept over Smith, in minutes that regularly go to Dewayne Dedmon. The rookie-center put together a solid performance, scoring 9 points, pulling down 6 rebounds, and eventually finishing as a game-high +24.
The Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman the change in his game recap.
“A Heat subtext, was how Erik Spoelstra handled the Heat’s situation at backup center. No, not nearly the sexiest aspect of the one, which might have been as compelling as anything for the Heat this season. But Dewayne Dedmon, listed as available, did not play, and Orlando Robinson did and played quite well,” Winderman wrote.
On the season, Dedmon is a team-low -93 over the course of 29 games for the Heat. His 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game aren’t exactly translating to wins.
Since Spoelstra’s decision to favor Robinson over Dedmon, the rookie has been a team-high +7.7. He’s posted 4.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in about 19 minutes per game over his last three outings.
Winderman had pointed out the possibility of Robinson stepping into a larger role for the Heat.
“The Heat have not been good with Dedmon this season and were quite good with Robinson in this one. That matters because (Bam) Adebayo deserves a break, which Robinson provided Sunday,” he explained.
Dewayne Dedmon Ejected, Suspended by Heat
This swap has since caused some controversy in South Beach. During Miami’s January 8 matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dedmon and Spoelstra got into a heated exchange on the team’s bench. The disagreement ended with the big man slapping a massage therapy gun onto the court and subsequently being tossed from the game.
Dedmon was not only ejected from the Thunder game, but was later suspended without pay by the Heat for the January 12 matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat never released more information regarding what had happened between Dedmon and Spoelstra, but one can infer that it had something to do with the legendary coach’s recent favoring of the rookie Robinson.