Cleveland Cavaliers: 15 best forwards of all-time

Randy Smith was only listed at 6-foot-3, but his 180-pound frame allowed him to play on the wing for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1979 to 1981. He was traded to the Cavaliers by the then-San Diego Clippers during the 1979 offseason. As a seasoned veteran, he was one of the more experienced wings for Cleveland upon joining the team.

Smith distinguished himself from others on this list with his ability to make plays for others, as well as himself. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest through 164 appearances. In his first year (1979-80), he was second on the team in assists per game (4.4), a couple shy of Foots Walker who led the way with 8.0 assists per game.

Smith wasn’t a sharpshooter from behind the arc. But inside of it, he got the job done. With 14.4 shot attempts per game, he was 45.8 percent shooting from the floor in his two short seasons with the Cavaliers.

He didn’t crack the 40-point plateau as he did with his previous club, but he came close. He put up 36 points against the San Antonio Spurs back on Jan. 11, 1980, though it came in a loss. Despite the result, Smith went 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) shooting from the field.

While he was productive, the team overall was not. After finishing below .500 two seasons in a row, a change was needed. This triggered a trade involving Smith once again, this time to the New York Knicks for a 1981 first-round draft pick in the 1981 offseason. Approaching the end of his career, it was for the best as the front office got some value for him on their end.