Smith To Spurs Rumors won't die
It appears San Antonio could be the potential landing spot for Josh Smith, according to Sam Amico via Fox Sports Ohio.
San Antonio could emerge as a potential landing spot for Smith, according to an Eastern Conference GM. With Smith’s expiring contract, it is believed the Spurs wouldn’t have to surrender much in return — and that coach Gregg Popovich and stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili would be able to keep the sometimes-difficult Smith in line.
This may raise the hopes of San Antonio Spurs fans on a trade this season that may push them over the top of the league. As Amico reports, the Spurs may not be giving up too much in return for Smith besides a big salary such as Stephen Jackson. With the Eastern Conference general manager mentioning that the Spurs' Big 3 and Coach Pop may keep Smith in check, it would only leave Jackson's expiring $10 million deal that makes it possible.
The Spurs may also be forced to throw in Tiago Splitter in the deal. He's on the end of his rookie deal which is seeing him earn $3.9 million this year, but the prospect of keeping Splitter long term and for cheaper than Smith may be what the Hawks demand in return. Splitter has been having a great season compared to his earlier ones in San Antonio, but he's seen as strictly as a system player while Smith is a very good overall player individually. If the Spurs can trade for Smith and keep him after this season, it'll be a win for San Antonio as he can build chemistry with Tony Parker for the long term.
Smith's talents would be well received on the court as he'd make the Spurs an athletic force, but can also create his own shot. The worry some fans and maybe the Spurs' front office may have with Splitter is that he may demand too much in return for being strictly a system player. With a rookie contract, a team with cap space may offer him up more than the Spurs may want to invest in a strictly pick and roll player. He can't create his own shot nor command the attention of the defense on his own. Smith may be asked to be overpaid, but the rewards of a more versatile attack from the Spurs may tempt San Antonio to take the chance.
If the deal goes down, it may also be more on trying to win a title this season to give Tim Duncan a proper send off as David Robinson got in 2003 over a long term plan for the team. With a more athletic defensive minded San Antonio Spurs team, that would certainly push them over the top against any other team.
The Spurs would also keep their depth as most of their shooting guards can play multiple positions as can Smith who's a versatile forward who can play small or power forward.
@BhaktaSA 20 games straight last year, the best they have ever looked and still lost because the Spurs got beat by players that were more athletic......the Spurs need a player like Josh Smith! It's not guarantee for number 5 but he can guard the Paint, Durant, and Lebron with the Best and if cost us Spittler to get him, the Spurs should be game! I will tell you one thing, if the Spurs are able to wrangler Smith from the Hawks, Spurs have a better chance of signing Smith than keeping Spitter......Look at Hoston's 2012 offseason! The blueprint has been written "how to steal a restricted free agent!", on the other hand the Spurs could offer Smith one more year and the most money if they are able to obtain him before Thursday deadline.
If they do acquire Smith, the only way he stays after this year would be if Manu walks or retires.
1 Like
I would not throw away Tiago and a few other spurs just too see this dude walk at the end of the season for a lot more money than we could give him and end up seeing him in LA or Boston later. And yes the chemistry would change. Does he do the things Tiago does like create shots for others with his screens throughout the entire game? I doubt it. And now Im hearing he has an attitude problem. I wouldn't disrupt the team the way we're rolling right now. We were 2 games away from the finals last season and now Harden is gone and we are better now so I know we can beat okc this season. Besides Pop is not known to make a major change at this point of the season. It would just throw a wrench in everything they built up. I say keep this team the way it is. If Ferry wants to give him to us for Blair, Jackson and Neal well maybe. Hands off Tiago.
http://www.hoopsrumors.com/2013/02/latest-on-josh-smith.html "Smith is making $13.2MM in the final season of his deal, which includes a 15% trade kicker. Since he signed his contract under the old CBA, the team that acquires him in a trade must pay the extra money. If Smith is traded at Thursday's deadline, the kicker would amount to approximately $1.3MM, or 15% of the prorated amount remaining on his salary this season." Do you gus think the Spurs would like to pay him that much?and offering a MAX contract extenion starting next season to keep him?
2 Like
The part of the quote where it says "it is believed the Spurs wouldn’t have to surrender much in return" makes me believe that maybe the Spurs can get Josh Smith without giving up Splitter. That's just my personal opinion. If that is the case, I'd say go for it.
yeah i would love this trade if there were some way of not giving up tiago or getting back a guy thats at least 6'11 in this deal. as good as smith is on pick and roll defense, hes still a sf/pf and giving up tiago means giving up our only other seven footer backing up timmy. also, even though smith can play sf, he'd be outmatched played durant one on one on defense leaving our only good choice at sf as leonard. i know thisll sound weird and very unspurs like but maybe throw in deshawn stevenson. the guy is shorter for the sf spot but hes a pretty good defender at the 3 and has been know to give other sf fits in the past
He is too dumb to fit in SA. He can't shoot, plays defense life J Mcgee, not much of a rotator. We would also have him for 1/3 or a year and then have lost several good players. We can't afford to re-sign him. Manu's contract is a hold for Lux tax purposes, so if we only want to try to win it all this year, this is stupid.
1 Like
Giving up Tiago is messing to much with our teams chemistry...Thats not the way Spurs handle things...
I know, imagine the Spurs changing their system, making adjustments. That would be crazy. This team is perfect and cant handle character issues.
1 Like
There is exactly one thing that should make the Spurs go for it: If the Thunder go small...I don't think Pop can leave Tiago and Tim on the court together, and we are back to square one.
Also, Tim and Tiago are too slow to really defend the PicknRoll. This is where Smith fits perfectly. He is one of the few players who can "blow it up"[i.e hedge hard and recover] with his outstanding athleticism. OKC burned us on those exact players at the WCF last year.
2 Like
Did everyone read that guy's? Smith can play small and a power forward . . . Meaning he can take Kevin Durant one-on-one in the Western Conference. We all know we liked Stephen Jackson while it lasted but his contract is too much for San Antonio right now and Tiago isn't playing at that Tim Duncan level that we all expected. Jackson is getting to his prime and Smith is younger and can handle Durant in the Western Conference finals better than Jackson can right now, we need Smith. No one on the Spurs roster except Leonard can guard Durant and he can't play 48 mins a game guarding Durant. IF this trade goes down, I like this trade a lot. Had more details in it because WHAT IF Tiago wanted more cash and wasn't going to be everything Smith is right now . . . That's the question we have to keep in mind. The front office will get their money's worth giving Smith a chance at paying him a little more.
2 Like
Last time I checked at trade machine,deal including Blair,Neal and Jackson for Smith worked.Why not try something like that?ATL gets players with expiring contracts and more cap flexibility for summer to build around Horford!With that kind of cap space they could sign 2 really good players.I'm not liking idea of tradeing Tiago...
@Spurs 4 life Danny Ferry isn't an idiot. He's not going to give Smith up for scraps. There are 28 other teams the Hawks can trade with, most of whom can offer something better than Blair, Neal, and Jackson.
1 Like
@CraigThomas @Spurs 4 life Its like the dwight howard situation in the way that no team is going to offer their best trade because they know the other team is not going to re sign them to another contract, so they could get him if they wait out and signed him then. Maybe Ferry just sees Smith as a headache and would rather see him go and and save some cap space, thats where the stephen jackson for josh smith with a 1st or 2nd round pick come in. That's just my opinion
1 Like
@CraigThomas @Spurs 4 life Ferry gave away Joe Johnson for little to the Nets.
@JeffProjectSpurs @Spurs 4 life He had to because Joe Johnson's contract was probably considered the worst in the entire NBA. He can afford to shop Smith around unlike Johnson.
I didn't tell he's stupid,but he can help us if he wants!Hey,LAL got Pau for scraps and won 2 c'ships with him,right??
@Spurs 4 life Do you think DeJuan Blair is going to turn into Marc Gasol? Didn't think so. While it was an unfair trade, I still think Neal, Jackson, and Blair for Smith would be highway robbery.
Looking at the field, unless you think Jennings is a better player than Tiago, than Tiago is the best player GM Ferry can get[Seriously, some of those deals are just hilarious...Humphries and Brooks? really?].
It all has to do with 3 Pop and RC perceptions:
1. How much does it hurt, if any, the title chances for this year.
2. Does Smith worth a max deal[Obviously he doesn't. However this is not how the NBA works]..
3. Do They think he resigns[If the Spurs offer him as much money as anybody else...I am certain he will]
I am all for standing pat. But in a hindsight, this is not a bad trade.
