Who will win the Josh Smith Sweepstakes?
With Smith in the last few months of his contract before he's eligible for free agency this summer, it's all but written in stone that his days as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, where he has played his entire career, are coming to an end.
Now, with the NBA trade deadline due to expire at 3 p.m. Thursday, all eyes turn to Atlanta, where the most talented player with the highest possibility of being moved--as well as the highest likelihood of making an impact wherever he lands--could find a new home within a day or so.
All through this week, reports have been flying regarding the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring Smith, who is averaging 17.4 points for the Hawks this season.
USA Today reported that the Celtics, Clippers, Spurs and Wizards had expressed interest. According to CBS Sports, the Suns and Bucks were also in the mix, along with the Brooklyn Nets.
But where will he end up? Who had the best chance to land the versatile forward? Latinos Post runs down a list of the most likely places that have the best chance of landing Smith by 3 p.m. Thursday:
Brooklyn Nets
Even with a team that has Deron Williams, one of the best point guards in the game, and All-Star center Brook Lopez, Mikhail Prokhorov's team is still armed with enough attractive pieces to entice a major trade. Yahoo! Sports reported this week that the Nets have put together a package that includes Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either a future first-round pick or the draft rights to Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic in exchange for Smith.
Humphries, who is making $12 million this year and due to make $12 million next year, the final year of his $24 million contract, adds a rebounding presence to Atlanta and his contract comes off the books after next season if he doesn't perform satisfactorily, anyway. Brooks, 24, is young and full of scoring potential, also enticing prospects for the Hawks.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks, however, have two more appealing and impactful superstars to deal--Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis.
CBS Sports.com reported that Milwaukee could potentially offer one of their young and high-scoring backcourt stars, along with Luc Mbah a Moute, to Atlanta for Smith. Jennings would make a perfect addition to the Hawks, but so could Ellis, as either would be paired with Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who has a world of talent and loads of potential at 24 years old.
Also, Ellis could very well opt out of the final year of his $11 million deal and the Bucks could lose him for nothing in free agency. For the Bucks, trading Ellis would make sense if they can't convince him to stay.
Boston Celtics
Since Rajon Rondo went down with an injury, the Celtics have been reportedly looking to make changes to their team, and big ones. Those changes have involved rumored plans to trade away the remaining pieces of their beloved "Big Three," being Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. While Garnett has a no-trade clause and has repeatedly said in the last few weeks that he is not interested in waiving it, CBS Sports.com indicated that the Celtics could be interested in trading Pierce to the Hawks in a straight-up swap for Smith.
Pierce, Boston's leading scorer with 18.7 points this season, has been beloved by Celtics fans, but at 35 years old, he doesn't have much time left in him. He could easily replace Smith's offensive output in Atlanta's lineup while giving the young Hawks a proven star, and the Celtics would inject youth and talent in Smith into their aging roster.
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix has been reportedly shopping center Marcin Gortat to Atlanta in exchange for Smith.
Gortat, who is totaling 11.3 points and 8.6 rebounds this season, is a fine center to start for Atlanta, and in his prime at 29 years old. In addition, Atlanta could easily package Gortat in a trade at any time next year. Put together with possibly a first-round draft pick and this could make a sweet deal for Atlanta.
New York Knicks
This latest one is a shocker, but apparently, according to HoopsWorld.com, the Knicks have reportedly approached Atlanta about a trade for Smith that would part with Amar'e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. Shumpert, coming off ACL surgery, could be rejuvenated by playing in a new city while the sophomore guard would add defensive toughness to Atlanta.
Stoudemire was an MVP candidate for a good part of his first season in New York in 2010-11, but a litany of injuries and off-the-court issues have hampered the big man's performance since then. In addition, he has two years and more than $45 million left on his contract, making him a giant contract to absorb for Atlanta, who wants to get under the cap.
The likelihood is that this won't get done unless Atlanta wants to have a big name to advertise to their fans, and Stoudemire, a six-time All-Star who is very popular with fans, certainly fits that bill. Meanwhile, Smith, a natural small forward, would team with scorer extraordinaire Carmelo Anthony and All-Star center Tyson Chandler, forming a frontcourt that would be among the league's best, on paper.