Josh Smith Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Among Teams Targeting Josh Smith

June 30th, 2013 at 9:09am CST by Chuck Myron

Five or six teams are expected to go after Hawks free agent forward Josh Smith, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, and one of them will be the Pistons, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Detroit will have plenty of cap room for the maximum-salary offer Smith and agent Wallace Prather are likely to seek.

The Celtics are also reportedly high on Smith, and teams that miss out on Dwight Howard could be in the mix as well. It's unclear how much of a priority retaining Smith will be for the Hawks, but Atlanta can give him the best financial offer. The maximum starting salary for Smith, a nine-year veteran, will be 30% of the salary cap, or approximately $19.5MM, but the Hawks can give him a five-year deal instead of the four years other teams can offer. They can also give him 7.5% raises each season, as opposed to the 4.5% raises he'd get from the Pistons and everyone else.

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said he's targeting help at point guard and the wing, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press notes, so the team would seem to envision Smith as a small forward rather than a power forward.

The Pistons made one decision affecting their cap space Saturday, keeping Viacheslav Kravtsov for $1.5MM for next season rather than waiving him while his $500K partial guarantee was still in effect. Rodney Stuckey's contract is only guaranteed for $4MM if he's waived today, but the Pistons plan to keep him, according to MLive's David Mayo. Detroit also plans to renounce its cap holds on all of its free agents, including Jose Calderon, whom the team is unlikely to pay more than $7MM annually to re-sign, Mayo writes.

The Pistons and Corey Maggette had mutual interest in his return a few months ago, but he won't be back, and neither will Jason Maxiell, according to Mayo.

Celtics To Target Josh Smith If Paul Pierce Traded

June 25th, 2013 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

As we learned earlier today, the Celtics are weighing their options when it comes to Paul Pierce, and would ideally like to send Pierce to a contending team in exchange for a first-round pick. It's not clear yet whether such a scenario will materialize, but if Boston is able to shed Pierce's salary without taking any contracts back, the team already has its next step planned, according to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Deveney reports that the C's have a sign-and-trade offer ready for Josh Smith, who would be one of the club's top targets in free agency.

If the Celtics hope to shed Pierce's $15.33MM salary without taking any salary back themselves, the team will have to wait until July to officially consummate a deal, since other clubs won't have the cap space necessary for such a move until after July 1st. It's plausible at that point that the Celtics could find such a deal, though I'd be surprised if they were also able to land a first-round pick and send Pierce to a contender.

One potential scenario could involve Pierce being sent to the Cavaliers for a pair of early second-round picks. In that case, Cleveland could land a veteran to go with its young core, and would avoid giving up a first-round pick or taking on long-term salary. Boston, meanwhile, would add a couple prospects, clear salary, and gain a trade exception worth $15.33MM (Pierce's salary) to make a run at Smith. However, Deveney hears from a source that Pierce-to-Cleveland is probably a "long shot," since the Cavs don't want to acquire a player that doesn't want to be there.

Of course, if the Celtics pursue this plan, it would also depend in part on Smith's desire to play in Boston for a salary that fits into that hypothetical trade exception. But given the fact that Smith is unlikely to receive any max-salary offers, and is an old friend and teammate of Rajon Rondo, it's not an outlandish scenario.

The Hawks would also have to be on board with a sign-and-trade, so the C's may have to flip those hypothetical picks acquired for Pierce. Atlanta would be unlikely to take on any unwanted salary either, so Boston wouldn't necessarily be able to unload a player like Courtney Lee or Jason Terry in such a deal. This is all my speculation though — we're still a few significant steps away from a sign-and-trade even being negotiated by the two teams.

Atlantic Notes: Kidd, Knicks, Larkin, C’s, Sixers

June 4th, 2013 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

Already today, we've passed along word that J.R. Smith will decline his player option, but is likely to re-sign with the Knicks. There are plenty of other news items and rumors floating around the web this morning, relating to the Knicks and their Atlantic rivals, so let's round up the latest out of the division:

After announcing his retirement yesterday, Jason Kidd told ESPN Radio (link via Marc Berman of the New York Post) that he thinks the Knicks have a "solid foundation," though the team may have to make a couple upgrades this summer.
According to both Berman and Nate Taylor of the New York Times, Kidd will forgo the final two years and $6.18MM remaining on his contract. Assuming that's true, it's a nice break for the Knicks, considering teams often agree to buyouts with retiring players. It likely won't give New York any additional cap flexibility, since the team is still in the tax, but at the very least it will reduce that tax bill.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald explores whether Shane Larkin may be a fit for the Celtics at No. 16 in this month's draft.
Although Michael Malone was on the Sixers' wish list back when Tony DiLeo, rather than Sam Hinkie, was running the team's coaching search, John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out the Kings' hiring of Malone further diminishes Philadelphia's pool of head coach targets.
Over at Philly.com, Michael Levien of SBNation.com is skeptical of a rumor linking the Sixers to free-agent-to-be Josh Smith, writing that he's "very confident" Philadelphia won't be the team that gives the forward a big-money, long-term contract.

Odds & Ends: Rockets, McLemore, Horford

May 4th, 2013 at 9:41pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The future looks very bright for the Rockets, and Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets hears from GM Daryl Morey that the organization is set on building around the current core of players: “We’re very excited about the foundation…We were careful to make sure all the key pieces could stay. People are going to see mostly the same team back next year because of that." Considering that they're a young team that pushed the Thunder to six games after being down three games to none – along with the emergence of Patrick Beverley - it's difficult to disagree with the optimism in Houston. Here are a few more miscellaneous links we've gathered up tonight:

Eric Prisbell of USA Today reports that NBA draft hopeful Ben McLemore's AAU coach received cash and other benefits in order to help influence the former Kansas Jayhawk to leave college after one season and declare for the draft.
Hoopsworld's Steve Kyler tweets that Al Horford is a player that the Hawks would like to keep rather than trade as the team handles a roster that could be in heavy flux.
Kyler also says that the front runners to sign Josh Smith this summer will be the teams that miss out on Dwight Howard (Twitter link).
Magic CEO Alex Martins doesn't foresee a long rebuilding period in Orlando and is confident that the team can return to title contention in the near future (John Denton of Magic.com).
Hawks GM Danny Ferry feels that the 2012-13 season was a very significant year in terms of taking the initial steps toward becoming a contender and likes the flexibility that his team has moving forward (ESPN via the Associated Press).
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group looks back on the 10 most important moves the Warriors made to build the team that starts the second round Sunday against the Spurs.
According to a report from Sportando, Leones de Ponce of Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico have released Garret Siler and replaced him with Mike Harris.

Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.

Amico On Jackson, Bobcats, Shaw, Suns, Cavs

April 25th, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Sam Amico's latest notes column for FOX Sports Ohio is chock-full of interesting NBA tidbits, including one rumor suggesting that Michael Jordan is considering offering Phil Jackson a piece of the Bobcats and total control over the team's basketball operations. Amico pumps the brakes on the story a little, writing that a rival GM cautions it's merely a rumor being whispered around the league for now, rather than anything concrete. Still, it certainly makes for an interesting talking point. Here are a few more highlights from Amico's piece:

If Jackson were to be hired in a front-office role, many people around the NBA believe he'd hire Pacers assistant Brian Shaw as his team's head coach.
One opposing GM on the Bobcats' coaching opening, which Amico notes has some appeal: "That’s not a dire situation by any stretch. People are railing Michael Jordan, but that team has the youth and assets to make a quick turnaround. A lot of teams oversell that idea. The Bobcats don’t sell it all. But (Jordan) actually has them set up nicely. It’s just about making the right moves from here."
Expect the Suns to make a serious run at a top free agent, according to Amico, who names Josh Smith and Al Jefferson as potential Phoenix targets.
The Cavaliers are open to trade talks involving anyone but Kyrie Irving, says Amico, echoing what we heard from ESPN.com's Chris Broussard earlier today. Amico clarifies that the Cavs aren't necessarily actively shopping anyone, but that GM Chris Grant will field calls, since he's more confident in building the team via trade than via free agency.

Stein’s Latest: Josh Smith, Boylan, Collins, Holiday

April 12th, 2013 at 10:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

Marc Stein's final ESPN.com Weekend Dime of the season doubles as his awards ballot, and he has LeBron James winning MVP, of course. More intriguing are his selections in some of the tighter races: George Karl for Coach of the Year, Kevin Martin for Sixth Man of the Year, Tim Duncan for Defensive Player of the Year and Jrue Holiday for Most Improved Player. Stein also has plenty of news from around the league, as we round up:

Before the season, the Hawks offered Josh Smith a three-year extension for the maximum amount, which would have been about $45MM, but Smith made it clear he wanted to hit free agency. That's no surprise, since an extension would have meant a smaller annual salary than he can sign for as a free agent, per collective bargaining agreement rules. The Hawks, wary of letting Smith walk, aggressively pursued trades, according to Stein, but wound up keeping him when an offer from the Bucks wasn't to their liking.
Bucks GM John Hammond is publicly heaping praise on coach Jim Boylan, but Stein hears Boylan has little to no shot of retaining the job, based on the team's late-season slump.
Doug Collins may join the Sixers front office or simply become an adviser to the team if he decides to step away from coaching.
Justin Holiday's deal with the Sixers includes a team option for next season, and it appears the deal is partially guaranteed for $50K, becoming fully guaranteed if he's not waived by August 15th.
The Nets also have a team option on Kris Joseph's deal for 2013/14.
A source insists to Stein that the Jazz will retain Tyrone Corbin for the final year of his contract next season, regardless of whether the team makes the playoffs.
Jermaine O'Neal, 34, is leaning strongly toward playing again next season. He signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Suns last summer.

Josh Smith On Hawks, Max, Free Agency, Dwight

April 3rd, 2013 at 7:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

As the end of the 2012/13 season draws near, Josh Smith could be in his last few weeks as a member of the Hawks. Of course, it seemed we were just seconds away from hearing he'd been traded on deadline day, when Smith remained in Atlanta. Hawks GM Danny Ferry spoke to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com about the circumstances leading up to the deadline.

"I think our situation was unique in terms of still being competitive but also having cap space and flexibility going forward," the GM said. "We looked at all of our options at the end of June up until the trade deadline. Josh and I have had a positive and honest relationship from Day 1. He's been professional this season despite a lot of change and obviously a lot of distractions. I've enjoyed working with him."

Smith also opened up to Shelburne, and said he's open to re-signing with the Hawks. Still, he's looking forward to exploring unrestricted free agency for the first time. We'll round up the highlights of Smith's conversation with Shelburne here:

On why he answered affirmatively when asked if he deserves a max contract:

"The question was asked to me, 'Do I feel like I'm a max player?' And I gave him an honest answer. I said, 'Yes I do.' And the reason why I say this, is because if you don't know your worth, who will? I can't set my standards low. If you set them low, that's how people are going to view you. Like when you sell a house, you don't sell the house for $2 million. You put the $5 million sticker on there … and then you work it out. You negotiate."

On what he's looking for in his next team:

"Winning. That's all I care about. I want to have an opportunity to have a legitimate shot at getting a ring. I've been successful in high school, AAU, I want to have a legitimate shot at winning a title."

On his experience in restricted free agency in 2008, when he signed an offer sheet with the Grizzlies that the Hawks matched:

"I went to Philadelphia and sat down with the Clippers for dinner because I was already out here in Los Angeles (where he now lives during the offseason) for an adidas photo shoot. So this is going to be exciting for me to travel to different cities, and sit down and talk to executives and GMs."

On friend and fellow free agent Dwight Howard:

"Is Dwight serious about (Atlanta)? That's the question. Everybody would probably want to have him on the team. But Dwight is global now. That's in his mindset. He's addicted to it now. He's addicted to being global and international. That was the whole reason he wanted to leave Orlando is he wanted to have that big market."

On whether Howard would sign with the Hawks, who may make a push for him:

"I'm not going to say it's farfetched, but it is going to be kind of difficult to be able to persuade him."

Woelfel On Heisley, Josh Smith, Bucks, Hornets

April 2nd, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times touches on several juicy topics from around the league in his latest piece. We'll hit the highlights here:

Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has been in a coma for more than a month, and prospects for his recovery from a February stroke are "extremely bleak," Woelfel reports. Heisley was nearing a deal to join the Bucks ownership group with the intention of becoming the primary owner in a few years, but current primary owner Herb Kohl backed out of the deal, according to Woelfel, who adds that Kohl is still open to finding a partner.
We heard before the deadline that the Hawks wanted a "quality young center" in return for Josh Smith, but the Bucks deemed Larry Sanders and power forwards Ersan Ilyasova and John Henson off-limits as the teams engaged in talks.
Woelfel heard from Smith, who adds the Hornets to the lengthy list of teams that were after him at the deadline.
The Bucks would have made additional trades if they had acquired Smith, and they had interest in Eric Maynor, who wound up going from the Thunder to the Blazers.
Woelfel spoke to Kyle Korver, who indicates the Hawks are in the driver's seat when he hits free agency this summer. "I’m definitely hoping to stay here (with Atlanta)," Korver said. "It’s been a great experience. And we have an awesome coach (Larry Drew) to play for."
Some NBA scouts believe Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could wind up being drafted at the back end of the lottery this year. He's listed as No. 38 on the DraftExpress top-100 prospects list, and No. 20 in ESPN's rankings.

Hawks Want To Re-Sign Josh Smith, Kyle Korver

March 16th, 2013 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Among the items in Sam Amico's leaguewide roundup for Fox Sports Ohio today, he passes along that "word is" the Hawks will make re-signing Josh Smith and Kyle Korver their top priorities in the summer. If they prove to be out of Atlanta's price range, the team is likely to try to sign-and-trade one or both of those players.

Smith made headlines earlier this season when he said he felt he was deserving of a maximum-salary contract, but more recently clarified that his statements were in response to a question and not meant as a pronouncement ahead of this summer's negotiations. Nonetheless, it seems likely he'll go after a max deal, which would be worth nearly $100MM from the Hawks and a little more than $74MM if he signed with another team. Since Amico's report indicates there's a limit on how much they'll spend to retain Smith, it doesn't look like they're willing to give him the full max. They might be open to structing the deal so that Smith gets more than the $74MM he could get from another club, however, retaining their financial advantage over the rest of the league, but that's just my speculation.

Korver isn't nearly the player Smith is, but he leads the league with a 45.9% three-point percentage, and figures to have no shortage of suitors this summer. The Nuggets are already reportedly targeting Korver, who's expressed a willingness to consider a return to the Jazz and Bulls, two of his former teams. When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined Korver's free agent stock earlier this month, he wrote that an offer somewhere in the neighborhood of the full mid-level exception, which includes a first-year salary of $5.15MM, might get a deal done.

The Hawks will have plenty of room under the cap to sign Smith, Korver and others this summer, when they'll have little more than $18.5MM in commitments. It appears GM Danny Ferry and company plan to be judicious with that room and aren't dead-set on re-signing any of their players if they're putting a limit on how high they'll go for the two men they count as their top priorities. That they would consider a sign-and-trade for both Smith and Korver could suggest that they don't want to rely completely on building next season's roster with free agents from other teams.

Poll: Will Josh Smith Land A Max Deal?

March 11th, 2013 at 10:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Hawks forward Josh Smith surprised many around basketball earlier this year when he said that he believes he should be in line for a max contract this summer. While the 27-year-old is undoubtedly in line for a lucrative deal, hoping for that amount of money seems overly optimistic. Our own Luke Adams recently crunched the numbers on max contract scenarios for this summer's top free agents and showed that a max deal from the Hawks could pay him $99.7MM over five years and a topped-out deal from another club could be worth $74MM over four years, depending on how much max salaries increase this summer. Smith is a welcome addition to any club, but will he get an annual average of about $20MM from the Hawks or $18.5MM from another team?

So far, the Hawks have maintained that they will not be giving the forward a max contract. Then again, the fact that they held on to Smith at the trade deadline means that there is at least a little room for a change of heart. The high-flying veteran has a better chance of getting a max deal elsewhere and while the chances of that may seem remote as well, there will be a number of teams with cap space to burn this summer. And with all due respect, more than a few of these clubs might be desperate to make waves. The Bucks, Pistons, Cavs, Bobcats, and Jazz are just some of the clubs that will have the breathing room necessary to make a major pickup. Will an advantageous market be enough to net Smith the max deal that he seeks?