Netlinked 2/13/13: Josh Smith and Paul Millsap rumors sprout up involving the Nets, of course

According to multiple reports, the Nets have "serious" interest in trading for Smith

Our Nets trade speculation juices started flowing last week when a possible Kris Humphries-for-Ben Gordon swap between Brooklyn and the Bobcats was mentioned. Now, they are heating up with the recent reports that Billy King is inquiring with the Atlanta Hawks as to work on a deal that would send Josh Smith to the Nets. Chris Broussard, the author of the piece infamous for his excessive non-crediting of sources, even goes as far to say that the Nets "covet" Smith, a great talent who would unfortunately come at a high price, somewhere in the neighborhood of Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and a maybe a first-round pick as well.

In addition to just Smith, Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz has also been linked to the Nets, as noted in an article from the Daily News which holds skepticism on Brooklyn's chances of getting Smith and/or Gordon. Mitch Lawrence, writer of the article, states at the bottom of the page how the Nets and Billy King have seemingly shifted their attention on the trade front to Millsap, who is a cheaper option than Smith and might be able to be gotten by giving up less in return. Also, as Lawrence points out, King and Jazz GM has a little bit of a history together, as they orchestrated the Deron Williams trade from a few years back and even worked together in the 76ers front office in the late 1990s.