Hawks match Grizzlies' offer for F Josh Smith

Aug 9, 2008 - 2:30 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Hawks retained swingman Josh Smith on Friday, matching the offer sheet he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the day.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that the Grizzlies unexpectedly offered Smith a five-year, $58 million deal, giving the Hawks seven days to decide whether to allow Smith to take his talents elsewhere.

"(Friday), the Hawks' organization received an offer sheet from the Memphis Grizzlies for Josh Smith," Atlanta general manager Rick Sund said. "We are happy to announce that we will match their offer sheet.

"Ownership, management and the team are happy to have Josh return as a member of the Hawks. We look forward to training camp in October and we will continue to look at additional opportunities to improve our roster."

Atlanta had previously said it would match any offer for the athletic Smith, who drew interest from the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the free-agent season.

The 17th overall pick in the 2004 draft, the 22-year-old Smith averaged a career-high 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last season, helping the Hawks make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. In the first round of the playoffs, Smith proved to be a major matchup problem for the eventual champion Boston Celtics.