Hawks convinced they'll deal Josh Smith by Thursday, Celtics 'active' in discussions for him
Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski just tweeted this:
Boston's active on several fronts, including discussions on Josh Smith. Brooklyn is solely focused on making a Smith deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 19, 2013
Which would jive with Gery Woelfel's report from a few days ago that the Celtics were looking into acquiring the Hawks Josh Smith. Personally it's hard for me to envision a deal that results in the Celtics getting Smith for Jeff Green and Brandon Bass (Woelfel's rumored offer), but who knows what Danny could be looking into (three team deals, possibly offering Bradley to sweeten the deal, ect.) to try and get this deal done.
While it seems sacrilegious to consider, what about a deal involving either Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce for Smith? Well ESPN's Marc Stein weighs in on that possibility:
Hawks have convinced numerous teams that Josh Smith will be moved between now and Thursday 3 PM deadline. Question remains where exactly
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 19, 2013
Latest deadline rumble: Boston exploring its Josh Smith options. The prob: Can't do it w/out Pierce. Justcan't see Ainge sending PP to ATL
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 19, 2013
KG ain't waiving no-trade clause to go to ATL. So Celts would have to part with iconic PP to get J-Smoove. So can't happen w/out more teams
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 19, 2013
Can't say I see how a deal centered around Pierce works for either team really. Is Atlanta really in the market for an aging wing scorer, when a Smith deal would signal that they were going into re-build mode? Obviously Pierce could head to a third team, but how many teams are a Paul Pierce away from title contention? Memphis was one team that could have been interested, but they ended up dealing Rudy Gay for Tayshaun Prince. And would the C's really go all in with Green, dealing their best overall player for the enigmatic Smith? I can't see it happening, especially if Jackie MacMullan's story about Doc Rivers negative view of Smith is true.
However if Pierce is dealt, wouldn't that immediately signal that the C's were ready to pull the trigger on a Garnett deal with the Clippers? Remember, the original rumor was that KG would only waive his no-trade clause if Pierce had already been dealt. So if Pierce does indeed get traded - you'd have to imagine Ainge has something ready with the Clippers (Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan was the latest rumor)
Whether or not DA would give up Pierce for Smith, it's apparent that he is infatuated with J-Smoove, and is going be exploring all avenues when it comes to picking up the multi-talented forward before Thursday's deadline. Make sure to stay tuned, as we'll have the latest on all the trade chatter right here on CelticsLife.
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Related:
Celtics 'salivating' over Josh Smith, would deal Brandon Bass and Jeff Green for him
Celtics and Clippers discussing Kevin Garnett for Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan trade
Rivers "not a fan" of Josh Smith