Hawks keep Smith, draft center

After a day of furious trade rumors that included Hawks forward Josh Smith, the NBA draft ended up being a pretty standard affair at the top.
Hawks general manager Rick Sund said Atlanta explored potential trades to move into the first round but “there was nothing that really made sense.” The Hawks instead used their second-round pick, No. 48 overall, to select Oakland (Mich.) University center Keith Benson.
Sund declined to comment on the specifics of his trade conversations with other executives.

"The draft was—I don't want to say weak—but it wasn't one that was real strong [with depth] picking other than the top five or six," Sund said. "Pick eight is maybe as good as 15. We inquired [about trades] but most of the people wanted to keep [their picks]."

Much of the speculation about Atlanta trading Smith is fueled by the belief that he's disgruntled with the Hawks. Smith was frustrated by what he felt was unfair criticism last season from fans, media and coach Larry Drew, most of it focused on his shot selection.

Smith said Thursday he's aware of the swirling speculation but said he's not eager to get out of Atlanta.

“I’m not saying I want [a trade] to happen but if it does I will just have to deal with it,” Smith said.

Smith said the Hawks haven’t told him anything about a potential trade. But he noted that players aren’t usually privy to the team’s internal deliberations until a deal is imminent.

“Right now I’m with the Hawks,” he said. “I think we have a special group. I just want to win.”