Josh Smith Trade Rumors Tracker: Latest Updates on Atlanta Hawks Star

Josh Smith is a special talent. He has the rare ability to score, rebound, assist, block shots and record steals all at a high rate.

But it appears those talents may be heading elsewhere as we near the March 15 NBA trade deadline. 

UPDATE: Wednesday, March 14 at 9:55 a.m. ET by Mike Chiari

Despite continuous whispers that Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta, it looks as if a deal ahead of Thursday's trade deadline is quite unlikely. According to the Associated Press, Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson has no intention of moving Smith.

"

The likelihood of us trading Josh at the trade deadline is as close to zero as you can get, Bruce Levenson told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"

Levenson went on to say that he wouldn't definitively rule out any trade, but he also said that Smith has not said that he wants to be traded. Smith is eligible to become a free agent at the conclusion of next season, so the Hawks will likely try to pursue an extension if a trade truly isn't in the works.

UPDATE: Friday, March 9 at 1:13 p.m. EST

Ken Berger of CBS Sports is reporting that Smith could possibly be a part of a trade package that the Hawks would send to Orlando for Dwight Howard.

"

But a more serious contender could emerge in the coming days: the Hawks, who are dealing with disgruntled should-be All-Star Josh Smith’s own reported trade request. Smith and Al Horford would represent a coup for the Magic considering the alternative of losing Howard for nothing.

"

It's hard to see the Hawks moving that for Howard if they didn't have at least a strong sense that he'll be back, but this would be a huge move for both sides. It's hard to imagine a trade with more star power being swapped. 

The trade talks surrounding the talented power forward all began when Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Smith has wanted out of Atlanta for the past year. 

Wojnarowski goes on to talk about how the Hawks tried to trade Smith for Minnesota's No. 2 pick last offseason, but nothing ever came of that.

It's amazing that Smith has been able to be this productive while being in such a bad situation for so long, but that may change soon.

The Boston Celtics are one of the team's most interested in Josh Smith, but Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reports a deal between Boston and Atlanta is unlikely.

The sides don't appear close. The Hawks don't want expiring contracts, and Boston only has expiring contracts to offer—unless they want to give up Paul Pierce, which is unlikely.

Regardless of Atlanta's inability to get a deal done with Boston, they need to find a way to trade Smith.

He may be an All-Star power forward, but whenever you have an unhappy player in a bad situation, it's best to fix that. Sooner or later, someone will implode, and the sixth-place Hawks don't need that.