NBA Rumors: Atlanta's Josh Smith Needs to Stop Begging for a Trade

The sooner Josh Smith and the Hawks give up their antagonistic relationship, the sooner the team can make a push toward a title.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Smith asked for a trade before the March 15 deadline and that the team has fielded offers from several teams, which is unsurprising. Smith would be a hot commodity, averaging 17.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks this season. Throughout his eight seasons with Atlanta, he has averaged 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game.

It has been well-documented, however, that the unhappy forward wants out of Atlanta, and though the Hawks don't seem too keen on his public airing of grievances, they aren't willing to trade him without getting fair value in return—which doesn't seem to be a possibility.

Smith seemed to take issue with the fact that he was left out of this year's All-Star festivities and blamed the team for failing to promote him properly, but he seems to have become resigned to his fate—which will most likely be in Atlanta until the end of this season, when he becomes a free agent.

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"I just go out there and play the way I play and not worry about anything else," he told the Journal-Constitution's Michael Cunningham. "I know this is a business. Whatever happens, happens in the long run. But I know as long as I'm with the Hawks, I have to put my best foot forward."

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This attitude adjustment is a much-needed change because everyone knows that a team led by an unhappy superstar never goes anywhere during crunch time. Currently, the Hawks sit in third place in the Southeast standings, 7 1/2 games behind first-place Miami. They are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, nine games behind Chicago.

The Hawks aren't going to trade him, and Smith seems to be getting used to the idea—so now, the team can focus on holding ground in the standings and pushing toward the playoffs.

The other thing everyone knows is that the only thing that can make an unhappy player stop running his mouth is winning a championship.