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It's gotta be the Lakers and Pistons.
Switching lanes
By Sekou K Smith | Saturday, July 26, 2008, 10:11 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Cons ution
THE BASEMENT - This time a month ago I was busy calculating just how long it might take for the Hawks to wrap up negotiations with both Josh Smith and Josh Childress before putting the finishing touches on the roster in time for training camp.
Little did I know that I’d be sitting here this morning trying to wrap my dome around the fact that there’s a good chance neither Smith nor Childress would be in a Hawks uniform this season.
Childress, of course, is already gone.
Smith, on the other hand, is still in the crosshairs. But it’s not looking good for the Hawks on that front.
There are at least two, blockbuster sign-and-trade proposals the Hawks are chewing on regarding Smith (one from a Western Conference power and the other from an Eastern Conference big dog) that could dramatically change the landscape in Hawksville.
The “proverbial” ball appears to be clearly in the Hawks’ court regarding both opportunities, and we should presume many more. Because if they are resigned to the fact that they don’t intend to pay Smith a salary commensurate with what he feels he’s worth, then there only recourse is to sign-and-trade him.
The leverage we all assumed the Hawks had with their own restricted free agents went up in smoke last week when Childress bounced.
Anyone that doesn’t think Smith will wait this thing out as long as the Hawks is living in a dream world. If you don’t think he’ll sign a qualifying offer, play out his season and walk next summer as an unrestricted free agent you’re crazy.
If the Hawks want to get anything in return (and keep in mind they get absolutely nothing if he plays out the year and walks, NOTHING), they have to act now.
The tricky thing about sign-and-trades is that all sides not only have to agree on the deal but all three sides want to walk away from the deal the winner (whether it’s acknowledged by others or not).
With one loss already on the books this summer, the Hawks simply cannot afford another.
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/sha...ing_lanes.html
It's gotta be the Lakers and Pistons.
Who would the Lakers be sending out.
I don't know, but they were able to get Gasol for Kwame. Any collusion is possible.
lets me like a rookie poster here
booner and picks for smith
J-ho for Smith. do it mavs.
^^ Yea!!!
Odom for Smithhhh!!!!!!1
pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeasseeeeeeee!
Mangoo 4 Smith
If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on Dallas being the Western power they're talking about.
Word is LA and Orlando.
hedo?
why does the laker need him, plus they dont even have the money.
Odom + Mihm for Josh Smith. do it Mitch!!
Why not just Odom for LeBron or Odom for Howard?
I would have bet on Dallas too, but once they said Western power I knew they weren't talking about the Mavs.
Orlando with Smith and Howard would be one uva defensive interior.
Not sure why Hawks would do a S&T for Odom and his one year contract. Maybe Lakers would give up Bynum for Smith. JHo sure isn't the value I'd hope to get back for Smith but Hawks are in a bind.
Josh Smith sign and trade might be the Atlanta Hawks best option
With the recent rumors of the Detroit Pistons being very interested in some kind of sign and trade with the Atlanta Hawks for young and talented forward Josh Smith, Sekou K Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Cons ution writes that there are currently two deals on the table for Smith.
The Pistons might be that "Eastern Conference big dog". Any sign and trade that involves the Pistons and the Hawks would have to include a third team because both teams are over the salary cap and Smith would become a BYC player as soon as he signed any contract that gave him more than a 20% raise. Since the rumors are that Smith will receive a starting salary ranging from 9-12 million, the BYC status is assured.July 26, Atlanta Journal-Cons ution: There are at least two, blockbuster sign-and-trade proposals the Hawks are chewing on regarding Smith (one from a Western Conference power and the other from an Eastern Conference big dog) that could dramatically change the landscape in Hawksville.
The "proverbial" ball appears to be clearly in the Hawks' court regarding both opportunities, and we should presume many more. Because if they are resigned to the fact that they don't intend to pay Smith a salary commensurate with what he feels he's worth, then there only recourse is to sign-and-trade him.
The leverage we all assumed the Hawks had with their own restricted free agents went up in smoke last week when Childress bounced.
Anyone that doesn't think Smith will wait this thing out as long as the Hawks is living in a dream world. If you don't think he'll sign a qualifying offer, play out his season and walk next summer as an unrestricted free agent you're crazy.
With the Hawks backed into the proverbial corner and Smith wanting out of Atlanta, the Hawks management will have to act or risk losing more and more leverage. The rumored trade would involve Smith going to Detroit with Amir Johnson and Tayshaun Prince going to Atlanta. Those would be just the primary pieces to any deal, and the only third team that has any cap space left to facilitate a trade between the Pistons and Hawks are the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tayshaun Prince makes 9.5 million dollars and Amir Johnson makes 3.66 million dollars for a total of 13.16 million dollars. The Pistons could take back as much as $16,557,500 in salaries. If Josh Smith has a starting salary of 11 million and Speedy Claxton has a salary of 5.7 million, that's 16.7 million going to the Pistons.
But the Hawks, because of Smith's BYC status, can only take back 125% + 100k of the 5.5 million(50% of Smiths BYC starting salary) plus Claxton's 5.7 million, which adds us to 11.2 million. 125% + 100k of that figure is 14.1 million. Which falls within the 13.16 million that the contracts of Amir plus Tashaun equal to.
This trade scenario could work out with a few tweaks. The question is, will Joe Dumars do what it takes to make Smith a Piston, and will the Hawks management approve of a deal that would send Smith to Detroit.
Will Dumars act before the "Western Conference power" does? A deal is possible, but difficult.
http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress...rade_migh.html
Maybe it is the Rockets....come on Morey...Battier and whatever for this guy.
DD
Are you really comparing Josh Smith to Lebron and Dwight Howard or are you just completely re ed?
ing Lakers are going to steal another player for cheap.
Because Odom would keep them in the playoff hunt; I'm sure the ownership enjoyed that 7 game playoff series revenue and increased ticket sales.
Assuming this is even true, the Lakers might be willing to throw in Farmar since the Hawks have been looking for PG since Mookie retired.
Watch Billy Knight trade Smith for Odom then get fired and sign with the Lakers.
HOOPSWORLD/26 July 2008/5:12 PM
Negotiations are reportedly going nowhere between the Atlanta Hawks and restricted free agent Josh Smith. Smith is hoping for an annual salary in excess of $10 million while the Hawks are reluctant to meet his price.
It's easy to forget the Hawks won just 37 regular season games last season since what everyone remembers is Atlanta pushing the Boston [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]Celtics[/color][/color] to the brink in the first round. The cold hard truth is, though, that Atlanta really isn't anywhere close to contending. As such, giving Smith big-time money is a risky proposition. Moreover, with Mike Bibby scheduled to come off the books next summer, the Hawks could look to re-tool in the summer of 2009 or 2010.
At this stage, it looks like the Hawks best bet might be to sign and trade Josh Smith. Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Cons ution indicated that a "Western Conference power" and an "Eastern Conference big dog" have already submitted offers to the Hawks, and that the team is currently in the process of weighing those offers.
Of course, any kind of sign and trade deal is harder than it appears at face value. If Smith signs a contract in excess of $10 million as it's expected he will, he will immediately become a Base Year Compensation (BYC) player due to the 20% increase in his salary. This means the Hawks could only take back 50% of Smith's BYC contract, which definitely complicates potential trade scenarios. It's possible that a third team might have to get involved in a number trade scenarios. Still, even while complicated to consummate, there's a heck of a lot of smoke coming from the sign and trade Josh Smith fire.
This can't help but make one wonder who exactly the teams are that Sekou Smith was referring to. Could the LA Lakers be the "Western Conference powerhouse" poised to make a play for Smith?
Well, the Lakers could offer Lamar Odom to the Hawks and take back Smith and point guard Speedy Claxton, provided the deal Smith signs with Atlanta before being traded is enough to match salaries given his BYC status. The move would give the Lakers the defensive presence it lacked in the Finals against the Boston [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]Celtics[/color][/color], and it would also provide the Hawks with a good player and an expiring contract in Odom valued at over $14 million.
The Denver Nuggets could be a suitor, too, as a result of the $10 million trade exception the team received in the Marcus Camby deal according to league sources. In addition to the trade exception, the Nuggets have some future first round picks to play with as well as young talent like J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza. The Nuggets are the only team that can offer the Hawks straight cap relief. The question is whether or not the Nuggets would be willing to s out somewhere in the neighborhood of $10-12 million for Smith, which would once again put the Nuggets deep into luxury tax territory.
Another possible suitor could be the [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]Dallas [COLOR=#c80000! important]Mavericks[/color][/color][/color]. Josh Howard is rumored to be on the market and a move to Atlanta would give him a fresh start playing alongside Bibby and Joe Johnson.
Phoenix is also a team to keep an eye on due to the fact both Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw have been on the market all summer.
In the Eastern Conference, word is the [COLOR=#c80000! important][COLOR=#c80000! important]Detroit [COLOR=#c80000! important]Pistons[/color][/color][/color] are making a push for Smith in a deal which would likely feature Tayshaun Prince being shipped out. Such an idea is intriguing for Atlanta, but one has to figure Hawks GM Rick Sund would be at least somewhat leery of shipping Smith to a team already at the top of the Eastern Conference.
There's always a chance Atlanta could change its stance and give Smith what he wants. The other option would involve Smith playing for the qualifying offer next season and then becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2009. However, this would likely mean the Hawks would lose him for nothing next summer, which has to be a prospect Atlanta isn't very fond of.
All that said, the smart money points towards a sign and trade. And with offers reportedly already on the table, expect this situation to really heat up in the coming days.
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