NBA
Restricted free agent Dru Smith signed a three-year deal with the Miami Heat
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated43 mins ago on August 18, 2025
This summer, shooting guard Dru Smith was a restricted free agent for the Miami Heat. He’s spent each of the last two seasons with Miami.
Over the weekend, it was announced that the Heat are bringing Dru Smith back on a standard contract. NBA insiders reported that Miami gave him a three-year deal worth $7.9 million. The Heat had to trade Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets to have cap space to sign Smith. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that the first year of Smith’s deal is fully guaranteed.
Dru Smith is returning to the Heat in 2025-26
The Miami Heat are signing guard Dru Smith on new a three-year contract, sources tell ESPN. Smith has developed within the Heat program and has overcome season-ending ACL and Achilles tendon injuries in each of the past two years. pic.twitter.com/q4wjv89FrS
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 16, 2025
In the 2021 NBA draft, Dru Smith went unselected out of Missouri. Smith got his start with the Heat as an undrafted free agent. He spent time in the G League. During the 2022-23 season, Smith split time between Miami’s G League affiliate and the Heat’s NBA roster. After Smith started the season with Miami, they dropped him, and Smith signed a two-way contract with the Nets.
His career in Brooklyn lasted only 10 games, during which he averaged 9.1 minutes per game. Following the 2022-23 season, Smith found his way back to the Heat. Unfortunately, his last two seasons have been cut short due to injury. The 27-year-old was playing well to start the 2024-25 season. However, Smith suffered an Achilles tear in December. That limited him to just 14 games last season.
Just In: The Miami Heat and Dru Smith have agreed to a 3-year, $7.9 million deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Smith averaged 6.2 points on 51% shooting and 53% from 3-point range with 1.5 steals in 14 games last season. Agents Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry finalized the deal. pic.twitter.com/bkGxdKzZx7
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 16, 2025
Despite not being available, Miami kept Dru Smith on a two-way contract. The team sees value in Smith on their roster. That’s why the Heat traded Haywood Highsmith to the Nets. This keeps Miami under the salary cap and makes enough room for Smith. Over the last two seasons, Smith has drastically improved his accuracy from beyond the arc.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has expanded Smith’s role, knowing his shooting can benefit the team off the bench. In 2024-25, Smith averaged a career-high .508% from beyond the arc. The sample size was small, as Smith only appeared in 14 games. With Dru Smith officially signed, Miami is back to having 14 players on a standard contract. The Heat has one standard contract left. Can Dru Smith stay healthy in 2025-26 and make an impact off the bench for Miami?
