The Atlanta Hawks were unable to complete a trade for Josh Smith before Thursday's trade deadline, after backing out of a deal that would have sent him to Milwaukee. Now, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that Smith is "highly unlikely" to re-sign with the Hawks this summer, when the nine-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent.
Zillgitt writes that Smith is likely going to want more money than Hawks GM Danny Ferry is willing to pay him to re-sign. Other teams can offer Smith a maximum of four years and $78MM as a free agent, while the Hawks could offer him five years at $97MM, although they have reportedly been hesitant to offer him that much.