Clippers sign Josh Smith, who helped Houston knock them from playoffs

The Clippers did far more than retain DeAndre Jordan this summer. They notched the latest in a series of free-agent triumphs Thursday when they signed veteran forward Josh Smith for one year and $1.5 million, snagging a onetime borderline All-Star for a bargain-bin price.

Smith picked the Clippers over others who offered more money because they presented a chance for him to be Blake Griffin’s primary backup at power forward, said one person close to Smith who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

The Houston Rockets wanted to keep Smith, a childhood friend of center Dwight Howard, after acquiring him in December but only as their third-string power forward behind Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones.

Smith, 29, will make the bulk of his salary next season from the Detroit Pistons, who will pay him $5.4 million a year through the 2019-20 season after waiving him last year.

He has career averages of 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.5%, though his 28.5% accuracy on three-pointers has been an ongoing issue.

The addition of Smith may have completed the Clippers’ overhaul of one of the league’s worst benches. The team has added forwards Paul Pierce and Wesley Johnson and center Cole Aldrich while re-signing guard Austin Rivers. The Clippers also acquired forward Lance Stephenson in a trade last month.

Smith spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, where he was often overlooked for All-Star consideration despite posting solid statistics across the board. He signed a four-year, $54-million contract with the Pistons in 2013 to help form a massive front line alongside Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, but the experiment was a bust.

Smith thrived coming off the bench in Houston and was a big part of the Rockets’ comeback from a 3-1 deficit against the Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 6 — nearly matching the Clippers’ 15 points in the quarter —as the Rockets rallied from a 19-point deficit to tie the series.

Smith then collected 15 points in Game 7, helping Houston become just the ninth team in NBA history to win a series after trailing three games to one.

Now he’s one of the Clippers, making him the rare player to beat them and then join them.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner