Josh Smith wants out by the March 15th trade deadline.
Even as Josh Smith is having a strong season for the Hawks he has let the team know he wants to be traded as the March 15 deadline approaches, according to people with knowledge of Smith’s thinking.
Josh Smith still has some of that lingering emotion from last season when he wanted to be traded. According to the person with knowledge, he is upset that the Hawks franchise for not promoting him to the All-Star team.
As the trade deadline approaches, the Hawks have taken calls from teams interested in acquiring Smith—Golden State is among the teams who have inquired. But the Hawks so far have given no indication that they intend to part with Smith, who likely would command a high price in a trade.
Josh Smith is averaging 17.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals so ar this season. It’s because of Josh Smith’s all-around game that Atlanta hesitates about pulling the trigger on any trade involving Josh Smith.
“His talent, that’s what you can’t give up on with Josh,” Stackhouse said. “It’s easy to say, ‘All right, let’s just move him.’ And then he goes and clicks at the next stop and you’ve got to look at that every night and you had it in-house. That’s kind of the dilemma with Josh. You know you are going to get some uneasy moments from time to time but, for the most part, he’s really about winning. He wants to win. He’s competitive. I relate to that.
To trade or not to trade is always an issue, but more than anything, it seems Josh Smith is another example of professional athletes that wear their hearts on their sleeves.
I wonder if Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Josh have compared notes.
