Los Angeles Clippers Trade Forward Josh Smith Back To Houston Rockets

The Los Angeles Clippers have traded forward Josh Smith back to the Houston Rockets, reports Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

Clippers have traded Josh Smith back to Housto, sources tell Yahoo.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) January 22, 2016

The Rockets are sending the draft rights to Maarty Leunen to the Clippers in the Josh Smith deal, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) January 22, 2016

Houston acquired Smith in a trade with the Detroit Pistons last year, and he played a key role in helping them make the Western Conference Finals, averaging 12 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while serving as the team's sixth man.

Smith then signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Clippers this offseason but was unproductive and fell out of favor of head coach Doc Rivers. He has averaged just 5.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 32 games this season.

Los Angeles had been trying to trade Smith for the past month, while Houston has been looking for more depth and production from their power forward position. Smith is expected to return to his role as Houston's sixth man, but could wind up starting over Terrance Jones at the power forward position. Read more in the Chat Sports app.

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