As the NBA Trade deadline draws closer, it looks like Josh Smith could potentially be heading West to one of the leagues' scariest teams, the San Antonio Spurs, while Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings might be on the trading block.
Smith, who has been rumored to be on the trading block for weeks, is reportedly now being chased by the Spurs, as Yahoo! Sports reported this week that San Antonio is one of the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring the Hawks' leading scorer.
Averaging 17.1 points this season, small forward Smith would be an impressive addition to San Antonio's roster, bolstering a front line that already includes All-Star Tim Duncan and an offense alongside deadly scorer Tony Parker.
While little info is known yet about who the Spurs would trade-obviously Duncan and Parker would be off the table-speculation is that the Spurs would likely part with Stephen Jackson, who is due $10 million this season, and Tiago Splitter, a rebounding big man with an occasional scoring spree in him.
The Hawks have been speculated to have been looking to unload Smith, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, rather aggressively in order to get something back for him instead of losing him to free agency.
And yet, Smith may not be the only high-profile player on the move in the East.
The latest rumblings indicate that Brandon Jennings may be looking for a way out of Milwaukee. Jennings is averaging 18.5 points this season and is tied for fifth in the NBA in steals, swiping 1.91 picks per game, but becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The Bucks have one of the strongest young cores in Jennings, Monta Ellis and Larry Sanders, but Milwaukee chose not to offer Jennings a contract extension.
ESPN is reporting that Jennings has reached the point of having "irreconcilable differences" as he is reportedly frustrated that the two sides have not been able to reach a contract deal.
Jennings has also acquired the services of a new agent in order to get some traction on finding him a new team.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported, Jennings denied that he is looking for a way out of Milwaukee, saying in a text message that the rumors were "not true."
"Just because I got a new agent doesn't mean anything. That stuff never came out of my mouth. They're just reaching for a story since I changed my agent [to Jeff Schwartz]."
However, as Jennings still has no deal in place and is due to be a free agent at the end of the season, there is little doubt that the way Milwaukee handles its dealings with Jennings will be watched closely as the trade deadline gets closer.
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