NBA Trade Speculation: 10 Teams with Enough Assets to Land Josh Smith

After another early round exit from the NBA playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks need to revamp their team and go in a different direction.

They have one nice piece, young power forward Josh Smith, that they could trade—and actually get something in return for.

Smith still has a ton of potential and could possible benefit from joining a new team and playing a new role.

Smith is a freak of an athlete that tons of teams would have interest in. While he still needs some molding as a basketball player, his skills have future All Star written all over him.

This list will cover ten of the teams who have the assets to trade for Smith and could use his services.

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings have a quality young core that has the potential to turn into a pretty good team someday.

Adding Josh Smith to the mix would create a nice trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Smith, and give the Kings a great foundation to build around.

If the Kings did want Smith, Jimmer Fredette would probably need to be included in the deal, along with Marcus Thorton.

Fredette has a lot of potential and could help the Hawks. Thorton is a nice prospect to take a chance on.

The Hawks could probably get more from another team which is why the Kings are so low on this list, but this trade could still help both teams.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have a lot of assets to pull off a blockbuster deal. If they decide Josh Smith is their guy, look for them to move on him.

The Rockets could assemble a nice package, largely based around Patrick Patterson and European prospect Donatas Motiejunas.

The Hawks could probably get more NBA ready talent in a deal with another team, but Patterson, Jordan Hill and Courtney Lee could all be involved—and all have pretty high potential.

The Rockets could add Smith to an already talented team and try to compete in the Western Conference playoffs.

It probably wouldn't be enough for the Hawks, but if they had no where else to turn, this package would be better than nothing. 

Orlando Magic

A Orlando Magic-Atlanta Hawks Josh Smith deal would be huge.

This trade has almost no chance of happening, but it is an interesting idea to look at.

If the Magic decided it was time to move on from Dwight Howard and wanted to rebuild their team, they could trade him—along with a bunch of their terrible contracts—to the Hawks, in return for Josh Smith and Al Horford.

Could the Magic get more for Howard from another team? Probably, but in this deal they could get some talent back and dump a few bad contracts, killing two birds with one stone.

The Magic could then flip what they traded for in this deal for draft picks or younger players, and end up a much better team for it.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are right in the middle of a rebuilding process and don't really need Josh Smith right now.

With that said, Smith is still young and has a lot of potential to build on. Smith could play a huge role on the Pistons and maybe reach his All Star potential there.

A package mostly based around Greg Monroe would be enough to get Smith from the Atlanta Hawks—that is if the Pistons were willing to deal Monroe.

The Pistons are probably okay with keeping Monroe and allowing him to develop while they build around him.

That said, no one knows how good of a player he will be and he could end up peaking as a quality rebounder/defender—not a good thing to build a team around.

Smith is probably the better option to build a team around, but Monroe could end up as the better player overall.

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers look like they are a team on the rise in the NBA. Adding a player like Josh Smith could be the move that pushes them over the top.

A package based around Paul George with a few other pieces could be all it takes to get Smith from Atlanta. Indiana would have to think long and hard about moving George, who showed flashes of excellence in his rookie season, especially on the defensive end. But the prize they would get in return would be worth it.

The Hawks would be getting a stud prospect and a few other pieces in return for Smith. The Pacers would be getting a potential All-Star.

Seems like a fair trade.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are so stacked with post players that they will eventually have to move one of them.

The Jazz could trade Paul Millsap and possibly Gordon Hayward for Josh Smith, and use his versatility to play him at small forward.

Smith could play small forward while Al Jefferson played center, and Derrick Favors or Enes Kanter filling in the power forward spot.

This would give the Jazz one of the best front courts in the NBA—and help them compete out west.

Los Angeles Lakers

I'm not one to think the Los Angeles Lakers need to completely rebuild to get back to their championship form, but getting younger could help.

Josh Smith would be a perfect fit on a Lakers team that has a stable environment and a bunch of great veteran leaders.

A package of Lamar Odom and Steve Blake could be enough to get Smith from the Hawks and both teams would improve.

Smith would be a burst of athleticism added to an already great team. He could be the difference in the Western Conference.

Smith would be able to grow as a player in L.A. Landing there would help him reach his full potential.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have been trying to move Andre Iguodala for awhile now and a Josh Smith-Iggy swap seems like it could work out well for both sides.

The Atlanta Hawks could use a guy who plays hard defense and doesn't jack up shots. The Sixers could use a guy with potential and room to grow with the rest of their young nucleus.

Iggy could help the Hawks right away and Smith could grow into a dynamic scorer in Philadelphia.

Golden State Warriors

It has been speculated that the Golden State Warriors are shopping Monta Ellis and the Atlanta Hawks could be a nice place for him to land.

Ellis for Josh Smith would be a more than fair trade for the Hawks and would work out well for the Warriors.

Ellis could turn the Hawks into a highly potent offensive team and play the point guard position alongside Joe Johnson.

Smith could develop with Steph Curry and give Golden State a young core to build around.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves should be looking to improve as a team and try to compete for a playoff spot this season.

As crazy as that might sound it is entirely possible with a few roster moves.

The Timberwolves could land Josh Smith for a package based around the recently drafted Derrick Williams. While it seems like a lot to give up, it would make them better this season.

The Wolves would have a decent core of Smith, Kevin Love and Michael Beasley—along with the young Ricky Rubio—and could actually compete for once in the west.

Would they win the title? Hell no, but they could maybe fight for the eighth spot and at least try and end up .500, and with something to build upon for the future.