Report: Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith (5) competes for the ball against New Jersey Nets' Kris Humphries, left, and Shelden Williams (33) in the second half of an NBA basketball game. (Jan. 9, 2012) Credit: AP
Josh Smith may wind up being one of, if not the biggest name dealt in the upcoming week.
According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Smith is unhappy in Atlanta, and has been unhappy for some time.
AJC Hawks beat writer Michael Cunningham, citing sources with knowledge of Smith's mindset, writes that the power forward told Atlanta he wants to be moved by the March 15 trade deadline.
Cunningham writes that Smith is unhappy with his current situation "on and off the court," and that he was displeased with how the Hawks handled Smith's All-Star campaign.
Smith, 26, has never been named to an All-Star team, and was arguably a snub each of the last six seasons.
The report says that the Golden State Warriors are one of the teams interested in Smith.
Smith is under contract through the 2012-13 season, meaning the Hawks' hand isn't fully forced this year. However, considering how long the high-flying forward has wanted out of Atlanta, it seems safe to assume that he wouldn't re-sign with Atlanta once he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Thus, you'd have to think that if not in the next week, Smith will be somewhere else by the end of next year.
Atlanta, currently 23-16 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, has managed to stay afloat with Al Horford on the sidelines predominantly because of Smith, Joe Johnson, and Jeff Teague. Smith is averaging 17.1 points, 2.0 blocks and a career-high 9.8 rebounds per game. However, he is shooting 45.2 percent from the floor, well down from the last two seasons and his lowest percentage since the 2006-07 season.
