{"id":155307,"date":"2025-08-18T15:21:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T19:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=155307"},"modified":"2025-08-18T15:21:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T19:21:22","slug":"recently-rewarded-heat-dru-smith-is-the-unluckiest-player-in-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/18\/recently-rewarded-heat-dru-smith-is-the-unluckiest-player-in-the-nba\/","title":{"rendered":"Recently Rewarded Heat Is the Unluckiest Player In The NBA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>MIAMI<\/strong> \u2013 The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/heat\/\" target=\"_self\">Miami Heat<\/a> kept <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithdr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dru Smith<\/a> in the fold. The guard signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/17\/why-heat-picked-dru-smith-over-locksmith-haywood-highsmith\/\" target=\"_self\">three-year, $7.9 million<\/a> deal this week. His average annual value checks in at $2.6 million. That is less than half of what <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/highsha01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Haywood Highsmith<\/a> will earn in 2025-26 ($5.6 million). Miami traded Highsmith to escape the luxury tax. Smith\u2019s re-signing provided savings while maintaining depth. But his path to this contract has been anything but smooth. In fact, you could argue Dru Smith is the unluckiest player in the NBA.<\/p>\n<h2>Recently Rewarded Heat, Dru Smith Is the Unluckiest Player in the NBA<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>A Brutal Timeline<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_105084\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-105084\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-105084\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Dru smith might be the unluckiest player in the nba\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/11\/USATSI_24630701_168401876_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-105084\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oct 30, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) dribbles the basketball as Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) defends during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Smith\u2019s career has been defined by resilience through injury. He tore his meniscus in 2021, then missed months after surgery. He finally signed a two-way with Miami in 2022. That deal came after several stints of being waived.<\/p>\n<p>Momentum never lasted long. In November 2023, Smith tore his ACL. Just over a year later, he ruptured his Achilles. Few guards can survive even one of those setbacks. Smith endured both in back-to-back years.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Miami Heat guard Dru Smith has suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon, sources told ESPN. Absolutely devastating after the two-way guard made a tremendous recovery from a torn ACL just over a year ago to the Heat\u2019s rotation now and was on cusp of a standard NBA contract. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gD7gtWG14b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/gD7gtWG14b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1871624526456668431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Yet, he never stopped working. Rehab dominated multiple summers. By August 2025, Miami rewarded his persistence with stability: a standard three-year contract.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Defensive Impact Hints at Value<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Heat are not paying for past numbers. They are betting on future impact. In just 14 games last season, Smith showed defensive promise. Lineups with him allowed 6.4 points fewer per possession. That figure ranked in the <a  href=\"https:\/\/cleaningtheglass.com\/stats\/player\/5006\/onoff#tab-team_efficiency\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">91st<\/a> percentile.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BEST DRTG By A Player (Min. 10 GP, 15 Mins):<\/p>\n<p>1) OKC Player<br \/>2) OKC Player<br \/>3) OKC Player<br \/>4) Dru Smith (\u203c\ufe0f)<br \/>5) OKC Player<br \/>6) OKC Player<br \/>7) OKC Player<br \/>8) OKC Player<\/p>\n<p>Only non-OKC player in the top 8 in the league. I miss Dru \ud83d\udc94 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mLjutr42CR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/mLjutr42CR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \ud835\udc03\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2f\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1d\u26a1\ufe0f (@TwoWayDav) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TwoWayDav\/status\/1893728791299563635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Still, the sample is tiny. Smith has played in only 38 career games across three seasons. Calling him proven would be a stretch. But calling him intriguing? Absolutely.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Why Miami Took the Gamble<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The deal works financially. Smith\u2019s contract is modest and tax-friendly. Miami shed Highsmith\u2019s $5.6 million salary for 2025-26. That maneuver allowed the team to slide under the tax line.<\/p>\n<p>On the floor, Smith gives them a defender with upside. If he stays healthy, the Heat may have found value. If not, they at least rewarded loyalty and perseverance.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A New Chapter for Dru Smith?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Every roster has stories of perseverance. But few rival Smith\u2019s journey. Torn meniscus, ACL, and Achilles \u2014 yet still standing. Miami\u2019s belief makes sense financially. It may also pay off competitively.<\/p>\n<p>For now, though, Dru Smith remains the unluckiest. Injuries defined his first three years. His next three will decide if that label finally fades.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><label>Credit:<\/label>\u00a9 Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MIAMI \u2013 The Miami Heat kept Dru Smith in the fold. The guard signed a three-year, $7.9 million deal this week. His average annual value checks in at $2.6 million. That is less than half of what Haywood Highsmith will earn in 2025-26 ($5.6 million). Miami traded Highsmith to escape the luxury tax. Smith\u2019s re-signing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":155311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,16,62,3],"tags":[49890,50251,4745],"class_list":["post-155307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-heat","category-nba","category-news","tag-dru-smith","tag-nba-contract","tag-nba-injuries"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155307"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155312,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155307\/revisions\/155312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}