Josh Smith rumors: Detroit Pistons won’t promise not to trade him

The Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings recently re-opened trade talks that would send the veteran power forward out West, much to the chagrin of Smith who apparently isn’t happy with the talk of a trade. Wanting to speak to the Pistons, head coach Stan Van Gundy met with the disgruntled forward but would not give him any reassurance.

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Smith, who left the Atlanta Hawks to join the Detroit Pistons during the 2013 offseason was a massive disappointment during his initial season in Motown, leading to trade rumors near the All-Star break. Nothing happened and Smith remained with the Pistons but talk of a potential move continued to swirl.

That’s when rumors broke hinting that JSmoove could be moved to Sacramento near the 2014 NBA Draft but talks stalled after the Pistons reportedly backed out.

Now talks have allegedly resumed and the Pistons refuse to commit to Josh Smith moving forward.

While the Pistons want ‘value’ they’re going to be hard pressed to find such given the albatross of a salary currently owed to Josh Smith. With three-years and over $40 million left, it’s most likely that the Pistons will need pull more of a salary dump to move the ineffective forward off their roster.

When trade talks between the two teams broke in June, it was hinted that Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson and Travis Outlaw would be making their way to Detroit in exchange for Smith.

Even if the Pistons and Kings are unable to find a match, the likelihood of Josh Smith remaining in Detroit seems to get smaller by the day.