Atlanta Hawks: Hawks said to pursue Josh Smith for Pau Gasol trade
According to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, the Hawks have tired to trade forward Josh Smith for Lakers forward Pau Gasol.
Bresnahan tweeted that no deal is imminent. And a big caveat is that his report says the Hawks first expressed interest in Gasol after Los Angeles was eliminated from the playoffs by the Thunder, back when Rick Sund was still Hawks GM.
The Hawks have since hired GM Danny Ferry, who says he’s focused on building long term. Gasol turns 32 next week and is owed more than $38 million over the next two seasons.
Also, Bresnahan and ESPN’s Chad Ford reported the Lakers are open to trading Gasol for a high lottery pick and players, a price the Hawks can’t match.
The Rockets, who have been accumulating draft picks, could meet the Lakers’ price. Houston already tried to trade for Gasol as part of the infamous Chris Paul deal that was eventually nixed by NBA commissioner David Stern.
Update: Ford now says the Rockets aren’t pursuing Gasol.
Smith, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, first told the Hawks he wanted to be traded after last season and reiterated that desire prior to this season’s deadline. Smith wants to join a franchise he feels is more committed to winning and play in a market with better fan support.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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588 comments Add your comment
Hoops
June 27th, 2012
11:59 pm
The Lakers will not make the trade for Josh. They want higher draft picks and we don’t have any. The Hawks should focus on the Bobcats, Wizards, Cavs and Kings. Trades could be made there and higher draft picks acquired.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
12:00 am
“About the only way I see us keeping Josh is getting rid of JJ and Marvin. At least Marvin.”
They need to get rid of Joe and Marvin regardless of whether or not they trade Josh. Can’t improve while those two are eating up $25 million of the cap together.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
12:04 am
By the way Pau Gasols numbers were not better than Josh this year. He shot a higher FG percentage and rebounded slightly better in the regular season. Thats it. His playoff numbers are not even comparable. Josh in on the elevator going up, and Gasol is coming down.
D.S.G.B.
June 28th, 2012
12:07 am
Danny, please get dwight howard and josh smith anchoring our front court!!!!!!!
Sugar Ray
June 28th, 2012
12:07 am
“He’s not a modern day McHale.
Al Jefferson
Kevin Love
Z-Bo would all be better choices for that.”
Al Jefferson? Zach Randolph? Better than Pau Gasol? At what? LMAO!
Sugar Ray
June 28th, 2012
12:13 am
Rod, hit the link:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=gasolpa01&y1=2012&p2=smithjo03&y2=2012
And keep in mind Josh’s usage rate was MUCH higher than Pau last year since Josh always demands the ball. But here’s the thing: When the Lakers ran their offense through Pau in the post during the championship seasons, they had arguably the best offense in the league. On the other hand, the Hawks ran their offense through Josh last year, do you all remember where the Hawks offense ranked?
St Louis issa callin...
June 28th, 2012
12:17 am
Josh cant read nad his dad under the basket sayin SHOOT cant either….Go Lakers GO
Sugar Ray
June 28th, 2012
12:20 am
“Seriously, you just said Gasol was more important to that team than Kobe. This boggles the mind.”
Pau deserved the 2010 Finals MVP trophy, Kobe knows it, Lakers fans know it, people who know basketball know it. If you don’t, well I can’t help you.
gcs
June 28th, 2012
12:24 am
“the Hawks have tired to trade forward Josh Smith”
Freudian slip?
Air Zaza
June 28th, 2012
12:25 am
Josh was our best playmaker last year. That’s one of the reason he had so many touches as well as the fact that we were without Al.
Your nut-hugging on Pau Gasol is disgusting.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
12:27 am
We are not talking about Pau in the championship years, we are talking about now. Look at Pau #’s in the playoffs this year, and Josh’s in the playoffs this year. No comparison. We won’t even discuss the defensive side of the ball.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
12:30 am
“Pau deserved the 2010 Finals MVP trophy, Kobe knows it, Lakers fans know it, people who know basketball know it. If you don’t, well I can’t help you.”
Please inform me what type of weed you are smoking, so that I never make a mistake and partake in it. I know many Laker fans, and have never heard anything remotely close to that come out of their mouths.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
12:34 am
“Pau deserved the 2010 Finals MVP trophy, Kobe knows it, Lakers fans know it, people who know basketball know it. If you don’t, well I can’t help you.”
If you really believe this I am pretty sure I don’t want your help. Unless Kobe gave your girlfriend herpes there is no justification for this statement.
Rufus1
June 28th, 2012
12:42 am
Suicide counselors for the Josh lovers….please report to the AJC blog.
Pau= Better offensive player, better rebounder, better free throw shooter, more efficient offensive player, less turnovers, equal passer and he doesn’t want to be a PG…. I can only imagine how much better he would have been guarding KG, than any other player on our team.
Josh= Better shot blocker, younger and DOESN”T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE
Trade him please.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
12:47 am
Fun fact: if Gasol had won the 2010 Finals MVP, he would have had the lowest Finals scoring average of any Finals MVP since 1982, when Magic Johnson won the Finals MVP by nearly averaging a triple double.
Rufus1
June 28th, 2012
12:53 am
True Value
I wish there was a point value for bad shots, turnovers, bad decision making and poor free throw shooting… Then we could know the true value of Josh and Josh lovers couldn’t conveniently forget those facts about his game.
TMACfan
June 28th, 2012
12:54 am
HAWKS TAKE A GOOD LONG LOOK AT TONY WROTEN.
I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
DUDES ATHLETICISM IS OFF THE CHARTS.
We will have a STAR for the future, and help off the bench now.
Walt Frazier
June 28th, 2012
12:56 am
Al Horford needs to spent this entire offseason with Hakeem Olajuwon to develop his post game like Lebron. This is, by no means-a comparison, but the fact that players have gone to Olajuwon-and came back with good footwork and interior moves-is something to wish for. Tired of hearing about Jamaal Crawford. I hope Danny Ferry uses all the power and control that the Hawks granted him. First order of business-get rid of the srubs-you know who you are. Hope you’re reading this blog.
theatowngiant
June 28th, 2012
1:01 am
Atl has to compete with the ball that’s played today. Keep josh and get the best pure shooter in the game john jenkins drink vandy. We have no shooters on our bench
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
1:04 am
True Value
I wish there was a point value for bad shots, turnovers, bad decision making and poor free throw shooting… Then we could know the true value of Josh and Josh lovers couldn’t conveniently forget those facts about his game.”
Wish there a stat for heart and balls. Pau Gasol has neither. Dude walks around with marshmallows in his pockets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2WVMxvwr7w
no thank you.
TMACfan
June 28th, 2012
1:04 am
Tony Wroten
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM9Wq-_24vw
Passes to Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal in this Mix.
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
1:07 am
He is too stiff and mechanical[All Get Real]. Plus he has no left hand…
Olajuwon can’t help him….
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
1:09 am
Two escorts to the rim? No Thanks…
Slimjr
June 28th, 2012
1:11 am
There’s no fluidity to his game whatsoever[All Get Real].
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
1:15 am
Two escorts to the rim? No Thanks…
LOL. Layup Line.
Jae Evolution
June 28th, 2012
1:15 am
I’m with TMACfan, Tony Wroten is going to be the BEST player available and a guy who can change things when he comes in with his passing and drive ability. No prospect who spends as much time as he does playing can have as broken a jumpshot as people are saying, scouts and media alike seem to hear one thing and become robotic drones and just keep repeating it. Is his jumper bad? Yes, probably. He works on it similar to Rose was working on his, all it takes is time and repetition.
Draft Tony Wroten, trade Marvin for whatever eases his contract off our books and focus on signing Omer Asik giving us the ability to march out Smith, Horford, Zaza, and Asik as bigs.
Shamrock
June 28th, 2012
1:44 am
Najeh, i hope you havent forgot about me
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
1:48 am
The more I watch him, the less I am sold on Wroten. I don’t see him being able to effectively play the 2, and I also don’t see this elite athleticism he supposedly has, which means his ability to drive inside and draw contact isn’t a given in the NBA. He can develop into a good passer and ball handler, but he seems like someone who isn’t going to thrive without the ball in his hands and at the same time isn’t going to be good enough to warrant having the ball in his hands.
Shamrock
June 28th, 2012
1:49 am
Hey Najeh, Fun Fact: Did u know that you have successfully rubbed five 10 year olds behinds and enjoyed it? Were talkin MVP Najeh
Atlhawksfan
June 28th, 2012
1:54 am
Good trade for the hawks. The hawks can finally move Horford to the 4, and will finally have a consistent low post scorer and rebounder. Hawks will have teague, Johnson,Horford, Gasol and draft a solid 3 or 2.
Trade_Josh_Now
June 28th, 2012
1:59 am
Lets trade Josh Smith for Pau Gasol.
Then trade Joe Johnson for the #2 pick so we can go into rebuilding mode.
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
June 28th, 2012
2:17 am
falCans
June 27th, 2012
10:56 pm
DUMBEST TRADE EVER!!! GASOLFOR HORFORD WOULD BE BETTER BECAUSE YOUR TRADIN ONE SOFT FOR ANOTHER SOFT.
I couldn’t have said it better. Get Festus Ezeli in the draft.
Air Zaza
June 28th, 2012
2:23 am
Gasol is not a consistent low post scorer. This is like saying Joe is a great scorer. Joe is a good scorer. A consistent low post scorer is someone like Al Jefferson.
Air Zaza
June 28th, 2012
2:24 am
We have the low collection of fanbase IQ in the NBA. Without question. Guys like Ray, random, Rufus, etc. Idiots.
Trade_Josh_Now
June 28th, 2012
2:24 am
If the Hawks are smart, they trade Josh Smith for Pau Gasol, amnesty Marvin, sign Gerald Wallace, let Kirk Hinrich go.
Atlhawksfan
June 28th, 2012
2:26 am
Gasol gets 14 plus a night with 10 plus Rebs while joshe has same type numbers but takes too many jumpers out side his range. Also smith isn’t a consistent rebounder
Trade_Josh_Now
June 28th, 2012
2:26 am
2013 Hawks
pg Jeff Teague
sg Joe Johnson
sf Gerald Wallace
pf Al Horford
c Pau Gasol
ECF here we come!!!
Atlhawksfan
June 28th, 2012
2:31 am
Marvin out and Wallace would be perfect but that is unlikely a sf draft pick will be better at 23
Trade_Josh_Now
June 28th, 2012
2:31 am
Bench: Pargo, Green, T-Mac, Ivan, Zaza
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
June 28th, 2012
2:34 am
Hey what’s up with the Hawks draft party? Remember when I showed up that year with them FIRE BILLY AND WOODY t-shirts? I sold out and almost got kicked out. lmao
Trade_Josh_Now
June 28th, 2012
2:38 am
I wonder if Jason Terry would be into a return trip to the ATL?
Atlhawksfan
June 28th, 2012
2:41 am
With Horford and Gasol the hawks will have increased in scoring and rebounding Teague and Johnson will add to the scoring. The hawks can have a great team if the organization did a better job Marvin needs to go 10 million plus for 10 Pts 4 reb max
Grandad
June 28th, 2012
2:41 am
Late to the dance:
Gasol & McHale are very good comparisons when one analyzes their game.
I`m not saying Gasol is McHale but, neither am I saying McHale is Gasol.
but they are tall rangy white guys with great length who are tremendously
skilled post players, and play the game generally below the rim.
They have great footwork, and both are / were technicians.
Pau is probably 3 to 4 inches taller, yet they both possess exceptionally
high B-ball IQ. Both are Champions, both are great teammates;
`though one difference may be Gasol is the superior passer.
Sugar Ray / great comparison !
Those others such as Al Jefferson = not so much.
Grandad
June 28th, 2012
3:02 am
In my previous post, I alluded to a number of skills possessed by
Pau Gasol by comparing him with K.McHale.
I`ll not repeat those, however, I must defend P.Gasol
for those who say he is declining or that his skills are eroding
due to age.
`Tis well known that Mike Brown brought a different offensive system
to LA this past season.
Also it is well known that Gasol was playing further from the basket;
not only than accustomed, but, further out than he should have been
stationed due to being 7-2.
We all realize the negative fallout that occurs due to Josh being
stationed outside, therefore, we should realize having Gasol
positioned so far out was poor planning.
Even M.Brown has stated there will be adjustments were PG to remain.
Pau Gasol is a Team player who is not an offensive me 1st stat guy.
All his stats are excellent save for his scoring output this past season.
paired with another Twin Tower who was not as skilled
but was more physical saw PG`s scoring diminish somewhat.
He is still considered the most skilled post player inthe NBA today,
and has been for the past 6 to 8 years [give or take].
People allude to him being soft. [Kobe propoganda]
People say the same about Al.
After awhile someone carps on something long enough
and folks begin to believe it and take [whatever] as fact.
The ” Rush Limbough ” syndrome.
RL is a carnival barker, yet he gets on his soap-box and yells
long and loud, then blusters about this and that;
before long folks begin to believe his nonsense.
Pau Gasol is a very good and skilled basketball player.
He is in his early 30`s and takes good care of himself.
No reason to think he will be anything but effective
for another 5 or 6 yrs.
Those are facts my friends.
David
June 28th, 2012
3:36 am
If this trade happens, the “highlight factory” moniker should be stripped completely.
PEDRO EL GITANO
June 28th, 2012
5:39 am
Un Pau motivado es el mejor center de la liga.Yo aprecio mucho la labor de Josh Smith,pero lo traspasaría por Pau con los ojos cerrados.No me gusta lo que dice Ferry de”construir a largo plazo”significa que no tienen intención de ir a por el campeonato y se quita presión para encarar el presente.Basura.Traer a Pau Gasol a Atlanta cambiaría a la franquicia.
En otro orden cosas espero que eligamos esta noche en el draft a al menos un buen reboteador.Somos el 23 equipo reboteador de la nba,así no hay nada que hacer.Espero a Fab Melo o en su defecto a Sullinger.En segunda ronda Joseph estaría bien.Noche decisiva la de hoy!!GO HAWKS!!!
SuckerFree
June 28th, 2012
5:52 am
I’ll take that Rockets trade over the Gasol trade any day of the week.
Lowry
Martin
JJ
Horford
Zaza
That lineup will definitely work. That would open up trades for Jeff Teague as well or he can be the 6th man (a defined role). And adding a decent pick is good as well.
That’s actually the best trade idea I’ve seen for Josh Smith in 3 years.
Kevin Martin will fill it up and take over the lead scoring role (because JJ obviously can’t do it). Lowry is a beast. Upgrades SF and PG for the Hawks because JJ moves to SF. Rockets can try to lure Dwight Howard with Josh Smith.
I really think that one works.
mbts
June 28th, 2012
5:59 am
What a terrible idea.
SuckerFree
June 28th, 2012
5:59 am
Chris broussard’s sources say that Golden State is “eyeing” Marvin Williams (amongst other SFs) via trade.
WHATEVER IT TAKES DANNY FERRY!!!! WHATEVER IT TAKES!!!!!
vava74
June 28th, 2012
6:08 am
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cpbkc77
Add a some picks.
This improve our cap flexibility going forward reducing JJ’s contract for Pau’s (less 2 years at similar value) and would trade Marvin’s sorry *ss for MWP decaying grit.
We could play big with Pau, Horford and Josh with Zaza and MWP off the bench and MWP being our sorely needed wing defender off the bench to put on Lebron (he should still have 2 decent years on him).
I think that MWP would love to play Lebron more times a year.
MWP could be our sixth man with some offense going through him with the second unit in order to keep him happy.
This year’s playoffs showed that he still has some game on him.
It would not be a huge improvement, but at least we would move JJ’s contract for one slightly better.