Official Josh Smith To Lakers Rumor Thread - Lakers Topbuzz - Los Angeles Lakers News, Rumors, & Fan Forum

Josh Smith is waiting. He's been waiting all summer, of course, for the Atlanta Hawks to figure out whether they'll give him the kind of deal he thinks he's worth, which is something more than the six-year, $66 million contract that guard Monta Ellis received last week from the Golden State Warriors. Smith, after all, can not only score, but rebound (8.2 per game last year) and block shots (2.6 per game). With the Hawks seemingly desperate for a win after losing sixth man Josh Childress, it seems that Smith is sitting in a position of power in these negotiations.

But things aren't how they seem. Hawks management vowed, entering free agency, to keep the negotiations with Childress and Smith separate, and they're apparently sticking with that vow. Even in light of Childress's departure, Atlanta -- which made an in-season offer of five years, $45 million to Smith -- is still playing hardball. In fact, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported yesterday that the Hawks are weighing at least two sign-and-trade offers for Smith, and that a sign-and-trade might be the only recourse for the team.

If the Childress process is any indication, though, the Hawks are not too keen on a sign-and-trade. Childress himself said there were two championship-level teams interested in talking sign-and-trade with the Hawks, and Suns VP David Griffin confirmed that Phoenix was one of those teams. "We were open to talking about it, but it never got very far," Griffin said.

Childress's agent, Lon Babby, confirmed that. "Phoenix was as close as we came to getting something done on a sign-and-trade. But I never got the sense that the Hawks were interested in that route."

Pulling off a sign-and-trade, of course, means taking back salary roughly the equivalent of the first year of the signee's new contract. The Hawks could make a deal that would send Smith away - perhaps to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lamar Odom, one of the rumored deals out there -- here's what Atlanta would really be getting in that case: one year of Odom, at $14.5 million. His contract is up after this year, and the Hawks would probably lose Odom next summer.

If they keep Smith, they will either force him to reduce his salary demands or force him to accept a one-year tender offer. Because Smith was a fairly low draft pick (No. 17), his one-year deal would be just $3.1 million. Why trade Smith away for one year of Odom at $14.5 million when you could keep Smith for one year at $3.1 million?

Sure, a ticked-off Smith might not be good for team chemistry. But Odom would be ticked off about such a trade, too. He'd be much more expensive, and it does not seem that the Hawks are keen on throwing money around at this point. It's hard to see how a sign-and-trade would work here.

Slow trade winds I

If you're a Los Angeles Clippers fan hoping the team will turn around and re-trade center Marcus Camby in a sign-and-trade with the Hawks for Smith, take a deep breath. Not going to happen.

Under NBA rules, Camby can be traded straight up only for another player who makes about the same salary. He is scheduled to make $8 million next year. The Clippers can't throw in another player to boost the salary number. The only way a sign-and-trade deal would work is if Smith agrees to it, and in such a scenario, the most Smith could make would be about six years, $61 million.

And, again, the Hawks would not want to trade one year of Smith at $3.1 million for two years of Camby at $15 million-plus, combined.

Slow trade winds II

All is quiet on the Shawn Marion front in Miami. Maybe a little too quiet. The trade rumors have subsided, and says one general manager, "I don't know that I would say they're shopping him or anything."

Keep in mind that though Marion and the Miami Heat did not reach an agreement about an extension before the opt-out deadline in late June -- they were far apart in those negotiations -- there's no reason the sides can't continue to negotiate and come to an agreement on an extension now.

The big reason that is not happening is that Miami wants to protect next year's cap space. The rumors about the Heat's plan to pursue Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer next summer have been so persistent that even Boozer said this weekend, "I live in Miami -- I'm going there no matter what I do, that's home for me. That's just talk -- I've been talked about in rumors my whole career. ... It might be because they have a need for a power forward, that I live in the area, and that you guys keep writing about it."

But, think about it for a moment. Would Pat Riley rather have Boozer on a max contract, or Marion on a shorter deal at a better rate? Boozer is four years younger and a better player offensively, but can't come close to matching Marion's defense -- and Riley appreciates defense. The Heat are not yet certain whether rookie Michael Beasley will be a small forward or a power forward, and the benefit of keeping Marion is that he can handle either role, allowing Beasley to develop in whatever way the organization sees fit.

Getting Boozer means Beasley is a small forward, period. Perhaps the Heat should alter their plans.

Miles away

Oklahoma City struck out in its attempt to pry C.J. Miles from the Jazz with a four-year, $15 million offer. The nickname-less wonders had balanced the deal to increase Miles' salary for next year, attempting to dissuade the Jazz from matching by chewing up their cap space. It was a calculated move by Oklahoma City, because most expected the Jazz to be willing to let the sometimes-frustrating Miles walk.