The Sacramento Kings are expected to push harder to finally hammer a deal with the Detroit Pistons for forward Josh Smith, who has been on the trading block since last summer.
With the sudden firing of Mike Malone from his head coaching duties, the Kings are all set for drastic changes in the coming weeks, and bringing in Smith to California between now and February 19 trade deadline has remained one of the priorities of owner Vivek Ranadive and his team.
"The Sacramento Kings are still interested in Smith, a source said. The man with final say, Van Gundy, turned down the Kings proposal over the summer - one that amounted to a pu pu platter of talent relative to Smith's, as he wanted a chance to see if he could unlock all of Smith's versatility and turn it into consistency," according to Detroit News via Slam Magazine.
"Smith has gotten off to a slow start, although he had his best game of the season in Sacramento on Saturday night, with 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks - in front of Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, the man who was behind acquiring Smith from the start."
After striking out in their latest pursuit for All-Star playmaker Rajon Rondo, the Kings ownership are facing more pressure in bringing Smith, whom they viewed as the final piece for the team to become a legit playoff contender in a very crowded Western Conference playoff race.
According to Braden Shackleford of Detroit Free Press, Pistons president of basketball operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy Smith is reportedly torn between contending with his current roster and pushing the restart button to commence the rebuilding phase of the franchise, though he has already placed Smith along with point guard Brandon Jennings on the trading block.
Smith, who was signed to a four-year, $54M deal in 2013, is averaging 13.2 points, 4.7 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from the field and 26 percent from beyond the arc.
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