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The Sacramento Kings are serious about making a push into the playoffs next year. Josh Smith might be a part of the process.
According to Marc Stein via Twitter, the Kings and Detroit Pistons have engaged in trade talks involving star forward Josh Smith. Potentially, Sacramento could be trying to land “Smoove” in order to spice up trade talks with the Boston Celtics involving star point guard Rajon Rondo.
Sacramento has been interested in acquiring Rondo for a while now, but up until now didn’t have the ammunition to convince Rondo to come over and sign a long-term contract. The Kings could be killing two birds at once by potentially landing Smith, as they both bolster their star power, while also landing a friend of Rondo’s. Having Smith on the roster hypothetically makes the Kings a stronger unit, while also could make them a more attractive long-term destination to Rondo.
While this trade rumors is still just that – a rumor – it could be one that carries legs. From Detroit’s perspective, Smith is a power forward that plays too much on the outside and is not a very efficient perimeter player. While he’s immensely talented and versatile, he simply is not an ideal three and could be someone they desire to move away from.
The Pistons are also very high on big man Greg Monroe, who they would probably like to re-sign to a long-term deal. However, with Smoove’s hefty deal on the roster already, that might prove to be difficult. By unloading him to the Kings, the Pistons would not only gain more flexibility for future decisions, but could also add a player and/or picks in return.
It’s an interesting rumor for the Kings, as it would probably mean the end of the line for star point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas is easily a better shooter and scorer than Rondo, but is nowhere near the defender or passer. With the Kings having their sights set on that point guard upgrade, Thomas could be part of a two or three team deal that ships him to Boston, Detroit or elsewhere.
Potentially, depending on how future deals shake out, the Kings could be looking at a starting five of Rondo, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, Josh Smith and DeMarcus Cousins. At least on paper, that’s a talented group and one worth trying to strive for.
