NBA Trade Rumors: Josh Smith Wisely Pushing for Trade Away from Hopeless Hawks

Josh Smith is unhappy with his current situation with the Atlanta Hawks and has been for quite some time now.

He is trying to force his way out and doesn’t believe he has a future with his hometown team because they aren’t committed to putting together a championship roster. The whole team is available to be traded for right now, and it seems they won’t be advancing very far in the playoffs once again this year.

Why would Smith want to stay around a team that isn’t sure if they want to pay the luxury tax and actually contend in the East?

Smith knows this league is a business and recently ranted about it and the trade rumors surrounding Rajon Rondo. Smith told NBA.com's Hangtime Blog:

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Rajon didn’t talk much about it but let me do it for him. It’s mind-boggling to me to see people talking about getting rid of a player who damn-near broke his arm during the playoffs last year for his team and kept playing. We’re talking about arguably the best player in the playoffs for his team energy-wise, defensively and offensively. It’s a sick joke.

For anyone to talk about getting rid of him, one of the elite point guards in this league and a true point who passes first and shoots second … it just reminds me of what I already knew, that the NBA is strictly a business. They can try to make it as family oriented as they want to, but at the end of the day it’s a business. And the fact is there is no loyalty in the NBA or any other profession. It’s always business.”

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While the criticism was directed at the Celtics' front office, you can tell that personal experience definitely plays a role in his viewpoint on the issue.

Since this league is a business, Smith needs to make sure he puts himself in the best position to win and be financially secure. He’s under contract for $12.4 million this season and $13.2 million next year, but after that he will become a free agent at the age of 27 and most likely up for his biggest contract to date.

So where would Smith best fit if he feels his time is up with the Hawks?

The Timberwolves are one potential landing place and Yahoo! Sports did report that the two teams talked about a deal involving Smith during the NBA Draft earlier this year.

His leaping ability and shot blocking are a perfect fit next to the relatively unathletic forward Kevin Love, and would be a great addition to the fast break with new PG Ricky Rubio running the show.

Smith has all the talent in the world and would make that team competitive as early as next season if he meshed with the roster, played hard and actually cared about his new organization instead of criticizing it.

With his big contract, Smith is also being rumored to be in play for any three-way trades involving Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, two superstars who could possibly be on the block as their contracts end at the end of the season.

Landing in New Orleans wouldn’t be awful for him, but without Chris Paul that franchise is in disarray.

Orlando would be a better fit and he could help make up for the loss of Howard’s interior defense and shot swatting ability.

It’s highly doubtful that Smith lasts the season with the Hawks since he’s been unhappy for such a long time with the organization. There is no point in paying someone like a star if he is just going through the motions while waiting to be moved.

Expect to hear his name swirling around a ton of different organizations on Dec. 9 when the offseason truly begins.