The Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks have been involved in trade rumors for quite some time and most reports indicated that the teams would swap Pau Gasol and Josh Smith. The Lakers were looking to add some youth to their roster while the Hawks wanted to change things up and trade away a player who wanted out.
However, it seems as though that deal has died down after the Hawks ended talks. A trade involving Gasol and Smith would have involved others players, and reports indicate that the Hawks believed the Lakers were asking for too much, CBS Sports.
In addition to Johnson, the Hawks have been open to moving forward Josh Smith though they’ve resisted offers so far. Apparently the Hawks balked at a potential deal with the Lakers for Pau Gasol because L.A. wanted another major piece to go along with Smith. That would leave the Hawks with less than six players under contract, less talent, and no short-term cap relief because of the $38 million and two years remaining on Gasol’s contract.
Even though Smith wants to leave the Hawks, the front-office does not want to make a move just to get rid of the athletic forward. Atlanta would like a balanced transaction and they have decided that the Lakers were not offering that. If this deal cannot come back to life, the Lakers will be missing out on a future NBA All-Star
