Heat sign guard Dru Smith to two-way contract

The Miami Heat have signed guard Dru Smith to a two-way contract. He scored 15 points in Miami’s 118-110 preseason win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

On September 10, 2021, Smith signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team. However, he was waived a month later.

Last month, the 24-year-old inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat. This past Sunday, the team waived two-way guard Darius Days. This now leaves Smith and forward Jamal Cain to fill the two-way spots.

According to a few NBA betting sites, the Heat have top-10 odds to win the championship in 2023. Some oddsmakers believe Miami is the greatest threat to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.

The Miami Heat are signing guard Dru Smith to a two-way NBA contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Smith, in his second season in the Heat system, had a 15-point preseason performance on Monday and makes the team's roster out of camp.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 13, 2022

Per multiple sources, the Heat are also waiving Jamaree Bouyea, Marcus Garrett, Orlando Robinson, and Mychal Mulder ahead of the 2022-23 season.

While with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team’s NBA G League affiliate, in the 2021-22 season, Smith averaged 14.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks.

In 2021, Smith went undrafted out of Missouri. Through 107 games played of his NCAA career, the Indiana native averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 boards, 3.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest.

Heat ink guard Dru Smith to a two-way contract

During Smith’s freshman 2016-17 season with Evansville, the guard logged 5.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in 28 appearances. Plus, he shot 44.5% from the field and 32.7% from beyond the arc.

He was then named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.

In 22 starts of his sophomore 2017-18 season, Smith recorded 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2 steals per contest. He also shot career highs of 57.8% from the floor and 48.2% from 3-point range.

At the end of the season, the Purple Aces won MVC Most Improved Team. The guard will have the opportunity to make a similar impact with the Heat in the 2022-23 season.

Smith then transferred to Missouri. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he sat out for the 2018-19 season. As a junior, the guard averaged 12.7 points, 4.2 boards, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals in 31 starts.

Will he be able to help the Heat this season? Their backcourt could use his speed.

On February 15, 2020, in Missouri’s 85-73 win over Auburn, the young star scored a career-best 28 points in 38 minutes of action. He finished 7-of-14 (50%) shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from downtown.

For his senior season with Missouri, in 26 starts, Smith averaged a career-high 14.3 points per game. Not to mention, he also logged 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals.

He was selected to the 2020-21 All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team.

Dru Smith will spend his time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce throughout the 2022-23 season. A two-way contract is worth half of a rookie minimum contract. So, the deal is valued at about $502,000. The contract will allow Smith to play in the G League and in the NBA with the Heat at the same time.