Where does J.R. Smith end up?

According to multiple sources, the Denver Nuggets are heavily shopping SG J.R. Smith (runner up for the All-Ink Team). Smith, 24, is wildly athletic and has deep range. Last season with the Nuggets he averaged 15.4 points and 1.9 3's per game on 41% shooting. With the emergence of Arron Afflalo as a deep threat and the signing of Al Harrington, who is a 3 point specialist, Smith is no longer a vital piece to the team. That, and he is not the easiest player to coach, often exhibiting an atrocious shot selection. As a proven scorer coming with a $6.7 mil expiring contract, Smith will draw interest from a lot of teams.

In return, the Nuggets are probably interested in a young big man who is still on the rookie salary. With PF Kenyon Martin entering the final year of his deal and C Nene having the option to opt out, the Nuggets could potentially lose their starting front court (not to mention Carmelo Anthony) and be left with Chris Anderson and Renaldo Balkman as their remaining big men. Here are some teams that might be interested in J.R. Smith:

Golden State Warriors -- The Warriors are always looking for high scoring SGs with deep range. This summer, they lost three point specialist Anthony Morrow to the New Jersey Nets and currently have Monta Ellis, Dorrell Wright, Reggie Williams, Charlie Bell and Vlad Radmanovic as their wing players.

One potential trade that works is J.R. Smith for Charlie Bell and Brandan Wright. Acquiring Brandan Wright could a diamond in the rough for the Nuggets. Drafted out of North Carolina after his freshman season, Wright was highly touted and often described by scouts as "oozing with potential". Unfortunately, Wright has been riddled with injuries and received inconsistent playing time from Coach Don Nelson. With the Warriors drafting PF Ekpe Udoh, Wright's future clearly is not with the Warriors. A change of scenery is just what he needs. In Charlie Bell, the Nuggets would receive a quality shooter to backup Arron Aflallo.

New York Knicks -- J.R. Smith would fit in perfectly with Coach Mike D'Antoni's high octane offense. While the Knicks don't have any players that the Nuggets would be interested in (they aren't moving Anthony Randolph), the Sacramento Kings do.

Nuggets Trade: J.R. Smith
Receive: Jason Thompson

Knicks Trade: Eddy Curry, Bill Walker
Receive: J.R. Smith

Kings Trade: Jason Thompson
Receive: Eddy Curry, Bill Walker

The Nuggets get their young big man in Jason Thompson. After trading for Carl Landry and drafting DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside, Thompson is expendable. For taking on Eddy Curry's corpse and contract, the Kings would also receive prospect Bill Walker, who before tearing up his knees was a top 5 draft prospect. The Knicks end up with J.R. Smith, who might average 30 points playing alongside Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, and Amare Stoudemire in D'Antoni's offense. Not only that, but Smith's expiring contract does not affect the Knick's plans to acquire Carmelo Anthony next summer.