Hawks To Seek Sign-And-Trade Scenarios For Josh Smit (Pg. 6)

therealdeal wrote:Counter to 3: if he's best friends with Dwight and Dwight is buying in, I think he can get Josh to do the same.

Counter to 4: Start Nash/Bryant/Artest/Smith/Howard and have Clark off the bench. We'd need to probably find another body to take over the official backup 5 spot, but we can always run small ball.

therealdeal wrote:Roger, roger. This is victor, victor.

I think Smith is for sure not the smartest bulb in the tool box, but on the break I think he can excel. He doesn't have to handle the ball, he just has to catch it and dunk it. I don't know much about how easy he is to piss off, probably pretty easy. But if we've got his best buddy on our team we should be in good shape.

I agree that this version of Gasol is more valuable than Smith for sure. For this season he's an integral piece and the way he's playing now is EXACTLY what we all expected of him this summer. If he can keep this up, he'll stay on the Lakers until this summer.

Suns Explore Trade For Josh Smith



By Alex Kennedy
Senior NBA Writer

It’s no secret that the Phoenix Suns are trying to acquire a star player. Last offseason, the Suns signed Eric Gordon to a maximum offer sheet, but the New Orleans Hornets matched the contract. In recent weeks, Phoenix tried to acquire Rudy Gay, but the Memphis Grizzlies decided to send him to the Toronto Raptors instead.

Now, after missing out on Gordon and Gay, the Suns have shifted their attention to a new star that may be available prior to the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

The Suns are pursuing Josh Smith, according to multiple league sources. Phoenix will try to acquire Smith before the deadline or, if that fails, through a sign-and-trade deal next offseason.

The Suns are very interested in Smith and have had exploratory talks with the Atlanta Hawks about the 27-year-old forward. Phoenix views Smith as a franchise player who can be one of the cornerstones of the team for years to come. The Suns have been searching for a face of the franchise since Steve Nash’s departure last summer, and Smith could be exactly that. If the Hawks decide it’s time to part ways with Smith, the Suns will be one of the teams on the phone.

Phoenix has attractive assets, particularly Marcin Gortat, who could play alongside Al Horford and give the Hawks one of the best frontcourts in the Eastern Conference. They also have Jared Dudley and Michael Beasley as well as the expiring contracts of Wes Johnson, Shannon Brown (whose 2013-14 salary is non-guaranteed), Sebastian Telfair and Jermaine O’Neal. Phoenix also has several first-round picks – their own pick and two additional first-round picks that they acquired in the Nash trade with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Johnson trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Luis Scola could also be involved in the trade, but only if the deal is a sign-and-trade since he can’t be traded until July 1 due to the fact that he was signed by the Suns after being amnestied by the Houston Rockets.

Smith and his agent, Wallace Prather, are expected to meet with the Hawks at some point this week to discuss the forward’s future in Atlanta. The two sides met after Smith’s one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team,” but Smith’s camp didn’t demand a trade. It’s unclear if Smith and Prather will ask for a trade during this next meeting, although many people in NBA circles believe that Smith’s days in Atlanta could be numbered. In recent weeks, more teams have been calling the Hawks and inquiring about Smith, especially since his public comments about being “a max contract player.”

While the Suns will express interest in Smith, they aren’t the only team that will make a run at the star forward. The Houston Rockets, Charlotte Bobcats and Dallas Mavericks have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Smith.

If the Suns trade for Smith and re-sign him over the summer, they could have as much as $20 million in cap space still left over, assuming all of their current options are declined and next year’s cap sits at $59 million as projected. That means they can add Smith and still have money to sign a second big-name free agent such as Dwight Howard or more realistic options like Monta Ellis, Andre Iguodala or Paul Millsap.

The Suns have been actively trying to acquire a star player for the last six months, and they’ll continue to swing for the fences in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. If the Hawks decide to move Smith and get something in return for him rather than letting him walk as an unrestricted free agent over the summer, don’t be surprised if the Suns are one of the teams trying to acquire him.

FabFourLakers wrote:Are people seriously questioning if we should trade Gasol for Josh Smith?

Source: Hawks Unwilling To Give Max Contract To Josh Smith



David Aldridge, TNT analyst
Posted Feb 8, 2013 10:08 PM

The Atlanta Hawks are entertaining trade offers around the league for forward Josh Smith, but have yet to decide whether they will deal the ninth-year forward, according to league sources.

The Hawks met with Smith's representatives this week and reiterated -- as they initially offered at the beginning of the season -- that they would be willing to give Smith a three-year deal for around $47 million, according to sources. This is the maximum of what they can currently offer under the new rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Smith turned down the offer, however, saying he preferred to play out his existing contract and get a longer deal this summer.

Initially, it was believed that the Hawks had indicated they would not give Smith the five-year max contract he can receive this summer. But sources indicated Friday afternoon that the two sides have not had any discussions about the full five-year deal.

Smith, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution late last month that he believes he's a max player, which would mean he'd be in line for a five-year deal worth around $93.5 million from Atlanta.

But the Hawks, which expect to be major players next summer in free agency or through trades, do not want to tie up that kind of money going forward.

Smith, according to a source, is prepared to move on, outside of the contract discussions.

He has been one of the most enigmatic players in the Hawks' history, capable of incredible feats at both ends of the floor—as evidenced by his 23-point, 16-rebound performance against the Bulls in the 2011 playoffs—but also capable of driving coaches and fans crazy with his decision-making. Last month he was suspended by the team for a game for "conduct detrimental to the team," after a run-in at practice with coach Larry Drew.

Yet the Hawks have not formally decided to trade the 27-year-old Smith, who leads Atlanta in scoring and blocked shots, and is second in rebounds and assists. Team president of basketball operations and general manager Danny Ferry is in fact-finding mode now, seeing what the market is for Smith.

The website Hoopsworld reported earlier this week that the Suns had had exploratory talks with Atlanta about Smith.

If the Hawks hold onto Smith for the rest of this season, they could still trade him this summer in a sign-and-trade deal. However, the market for such trades will begin to narrow; teams $4 million or more above the luxury tax threshold, or that would become $4 million or more above the threshold by making a trade, will be prohibited from doing sign and trade deals.

The Hawks traded for signed for eight players on the last year of their contracts this summer. Five of those players came from the Nets in the deal that sent Joe Johnson to Brooklyn last July. They can clear more than $30 million in cap room by just letting those deals expire; only Al Horford and guards Lou Williams and John Jenkins are under contract for next season.

If the Hawks let Smith walk without taking any salary back, they'd be able to clear more than $40 million off their cap.

The Hawks could be a player for free agents like Dwight Howard, who is from Atlanta, or guard Chris Paul, who famously was skipped over by the Hawks in the 2005 Draft in favor of forward Marvin Williams, taken with the second pick overall that year. But if they find they can't attract a premier free agent, they might still be able to deal Smith in a sign-and-trade for an impact player under contract similar to that which they might find in free agency.

Chris Broussard ‏@Chris_Broussard
Nets going hard after Josh Smith, sources say. While they've discussed a trade for Ben Gordon, getting Josh is a bigger priority.

strikemode14 wrote:Max contract for Smith


He is on some serious drugs

Alex Kennedy ‏@AlexKennedyNBA
Source confirms that the Nets are interested in Josh Smith. The Suns, Rockets and Bobcats have shown some interest in Smith as well.

dwighthowardsdad wrote:Deron Williams & Joe Johnson already making a ton of money along with Lopez; if you're the Nets, are you willing to hand out another Max contract to Josh Smith? Hypothetically, would a lineup of Williams, Johnson, Lopez, Wallace, & Smith beat the Heat? That's a lot of money invested...