NBA Trade Rumors: Josh Smith, Rodney Stuckey Could Play With Trey Burke In Utah

Feb 12, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons small forward Josh Smith (6) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Earl Clark (6) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons acquired free agent forward Josh Smith during a busy offseason. At the time the deal received rave reviews from pundits and on paper looked like the Detroit front court was going to be an unstoppable force.

Well the Josh Smith experiment hasn’t worked out for the Pistons and now the Pistons are just as anxious to get Smith out-of-town as they were to bring him in.

The Pistons would love to trade Josh Smith but with his new four-year 13.5 million dollar contract the suitors for Josh Smith will be few and far between.

However after extensive brainstorming using ESPN’s  NBA Trade Machine and a little common sense, the Utah Jazz look to be a possible landing spot for Smith and the expiring contract of Rodney Stuckey.

The Jazz are carefully rebuilding through the draft but acquiring Josh Smith could help them speed up that process. The Jazz will be looking for a free agent forward in the upcoming offseason  considering their entire front court are on expiring deals.

The Jazz will be looking for a free agent forward in the upcoming offseason  considering their entire front court are on expiring deals.

And that is where Rodney Stuckey comes in.

Smith will definitely eat up some of the valuable cap space for the Jazz but Rodney Stuckey’s expiring deal will help them preserve that space for next season.

In exchange for the services of Josh Smith and Rodney Stuckey the Pistons will acquire Utah SF Richard Jefferson and C Andris Biedrins. The pair have expiring deals that will not disrupt the Pistons planned cap space for next season.

Its a Win-Win!

The trade could help both teams this season as well. Josh Smith will solidify a roster spot for the Jazz over the next couple of seasons and him to build chemistry with Trey Burke.  Josh Smith will be a big target for point guard Trey Burke looking for a scoring option in the low post.

The trade helps the Pistons by ridding themselves of the controversy surrounding Josh Smith in the front court. It also creates a more favorable rotation at the small forward position between Richard Jefferson and Kyle Singlar. Andris Biedrins has an expiring contract and could serve as a natural back-up to center Andre Drummond.