DETROIT, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons have agreed to terms with one of the biggest free agents on the NBA market.
Yahoo! Sports reports that Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith will sign a four-year, $56 million deal with Detroit once the free agent signing period begins on July 10.
Smith has played all of his nine NBA seasons in Atlanta, averaging 15.3 points and eight rebounds a game.
He’s also one of the best big defenders in the game, In 2010, he became the youngest player in NBA history (24 years, 59 days) to record 1,000 blocked shots. He was named to the league’s All-Defensive second team following that season.
The 27-year-old was the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Detroit failed to re-sign point guard Jose Calderon, who agreed to a four-year, $27 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks late Friday.
The Pistons acquired Calderon in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on January 30. He averaged 11.6 points and 6.6 assists in 28 games in Detroit, shooting 52% from three-point range.
