Josh Smith didn’t get maximum money, didn’t come all that close. He’s signing with the Detroit Pistons for a reported $56 million over four seasons, which averages to $14 million per. (The maximum he could have made by signing with any team other than the Hawks was $75 million over four years.) Last season he made $13.2 million as an Atlanta Hawk. That’s a raise, but only just.

It’s clear the market for Smith, always seen as uncertain, turned soft. Why else would he take an $800,000 raise to sign with a terrible team? He’ll join a front line that includes big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, which would suggest that Smith will be deployed as a small forward, which can mean only one thing – even more 3-point shots. Whoa, Nellie.

On a personal level, I’m sorry to see Josh leave. I like him a lot, and I like much of what he does as a player. I don’t like his 3-point shots, but who – presumably with the exception of Josh himself – ever has?

It’s also clear that the Hawks didn’t make much of an effort to keep him, which was surely for the best. He needed a new start after nine seasons here, and so did they.

It’s uncertain whether the Hawks can work a sign-and-trade with Detroit to salvage something in return. It’s also unclear if a 29-win team would have much the Hawks want beyond Drummond or Monroe or draftee Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who are doubtless untouchable.

Smith signing with Detroit also means there will be no reunion with his Atlanta Celtic teammate Dwight Howard in Houston, no sign-and-trade that brings center Omer Asik to the Hawks. General manager Danny Ferry can’t be done shopping, given that the only point guard on the roster is draftee Dennis Schroeder. At the moment, these are your viable Hawks: Al Horford, still at center; signee Paul Millsap at power forward; the re-signed Kyle Korver and signee DeMarre Carroll at the wing; Lou Williams and John Jenkins at shooting guard and TBA (restricted free agent Jeff Teague, we can assume) at the point.

I say again: That’s a pretty good team. That’s a 40-win (but not a 50-win) team. The most onerous contract Ferry has taken on is Korver’s -- $24 million over four seasons. At $19 million over two seasons, Millsap is an utter bargain. The Hawks should have plenty of cap space next summer, and that’s never a bad thing to have.

If the Hawks’ dealings to date leave us slightly unsatisfied, it’s because a summer that might have brought massive change has yielded, at least so far, only tweaks. Barring a major move, the 2013-14 Hawks won’t be much different, wins-and-losses-wise, than their immediate predecessor. They won’t grab a championship. They’ll not slide into the lottery.

Here we note the Boston Celtics, who traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets and who might well trade Rajon Rondo, were thought to be in the market for Smith, but they didn’t sign him. As it stands, the Celtics could lose 55 games next season. But that would put them in the lottery, which is the best place to be for a rebuilding organization.

One down year for the chance to grab Andrew Wiggins or Julius Randle or Jabari Parker wouldn’t be such a high price to pay. The NBA’s most storied franchise seems willing to take that risk. The Atlanta Hawks apparently are not.

Further reading: With Dwight Howard gone, the Hawks turn to ... Millsap?

Today's myajc.com column: With Dwight gone, should the Hawks have tanked?

Thursday's myajc.com column: Would a Josh Smith sign-and-trade jump-start the Hawks?