5:41pm: There's a 60 percent chance the Hawks trade Smith before the deadline, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, who hears the Nets are among several teams interested.
5:27pm: Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears there have been no talks about a new contract between Smith and the Hawks, including the team's refusal to give him a max deal (Twitter link). It's unclear whether Vivlamore means the team hasn't refused to make Smith a max offer, or if that refusal is what's stymied further discussion.
3:38pm: The Hawks met with Josh Smith's representatives this week and indicated that the team wasn't interested in signing Smith to a maximum-salary contract this summer, reports David Aldridge at NBA.com. As such, Atlanta is now entertaining trade offers for the free-agent-to-be, though the club has yet to decide whether Smith will be moved, according to Aldridge.
Aldridge writes that the Hawks and GM Danny Ferry are still in "fact-finding" mode when it comes to exploring the market for Smith, though the player himself is prepared to move on. We heard recently that Smith considers himself worthy of a max deal in unrestricted free agency this summer, but the Hawks are unwilling to commit that kind of money at the expense of future cap flexibility. If Smith is removed from the books this summer, Atlanta could have room for two maximum-salary free agents.
The Suns, Rockets, and Bobcats are among the teams that reportedly have some level of interest in acquiring Smith, while the 27-year-old has been said to have interest in joining the Mavericks or Grizzlies as well. While Smith unquestionably has a ton of talent, he'd be a risky acquisition for any team, given the uncertainty on whether or not he'd re-sign this summer. He also has a 15% trade kicker, meaning he'd get a modest raise on his $13.2MM salary if he were moved, a bonus his new team would have to pay.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Smith as a trade candidate last weekend.