NBA Trade Rumors: Why Minnesota Should Trade for Josh Smith

Josh Smith is open to being traded and the Minnesota Timberwolves would be smart to make a deal for the athletic forward.

After six awful seasons in a row, the T'Wolves desperately need to improve. They haven't made the playoffs since 2004 and have won just 22, 24, 15 and 17 games the last four seasons.

General manager David Kahn's job is about as safe as a 3 a.m. drunk drive to Taco Bell and Kevin Love, who has just one year left on his contract, will likely flee for greener pastures if the team isn't more competitive this season.

The addition of Smith, despite his flaws, would help ensure that both men stay in the Twin Cities.

Smith is one of the best athletes in a league that's full of spectacular ones. He's a beast defensively and can dominate games with his rebounding.

His high-flying, shot-swatting style would make up for Love's lack of athleticism on the interior and help improve the NBA's worst defense.

Offensively, Smith was fairly efficient last season, but he still needs to improve his shot selection. Of his 13.5 field goal attempts per game, nearly half were from beyond 16 feet.

If Rick Adelman can convince him to slash to the hoop instead of settling for jumpers, his field goal percentage will sky rocket.

Smith is also a dream fast break partner for Ricky Rubio. Simply put, Rubio-to-Smith alley-opps need to happen. Soon.

It's unclear what the Hawks would want in return for Smith, but Minnesota has plenty of young talent to offer. Some package of Derrick Williams, Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson, Anthony Randolph and Martell Webster should be enough.

If the Timberwolves are serious about building a playoff contender, they need to trade for Smith.