Smith (groin) did not practice Saturday, MLive.com reports.

Smith's absence seems to have been more about maintenance, as the ailment was described as just "slight" groin tightness, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the Pistons took further precaution and held him out of Sunday's exhibition. Greg Monroe would presumably get the start in his place.

Smith and Greg Monroe are expected to battle for the starting power forward job this preseason, the Detroit Free Press reports.

After Smith's disastrous turn as the Pistons' primary small forward last season, new head coach Stan Van Gundy isn't expected to run out a starting lineup of Smith, Monroe and Andre Drummond in the front court. Drummond is a lock to start at center, leaving Smith and Monroe to battle for the power forward gig. Van Gundy hasn't tipped his hand in either direction yet, but the fact that Smith holds a long-term contract with the Pistons while Monroe will hit free agency after the season could factor into the decision. Monroe will also open the season serving a two-game suspension, so a final decision may not become apparent until the Pistons' third game of the regular season. While a starting gig would make Smith slightly more appealing, he's still expected to log heavy minutes if he ends coming off the bench.

Smith intends to avoid the three-ball and place his offensive focus in the post during the 2014-15 season, the FOX Sports Detroit reports.

After inking a four-year, $56 million contract with the Pistons last summer, Smith proceeded to gun from the outside, putting up a career-high 265 attempts from beyond the arc. Because he couldn't surpass his career mark -- 28 percent versus 26 in 2013-14 -- new coach and general manager Stan Van Gundy has seemingly convinced the forward that the team is best served if Smith focuses his efforts near the paint. The last season in which more than half of his shots occurred at the rim was 2009-10 -- 616 of 999 -- which is unlikely to come to pass next to Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. However, a modest change in Smith's shot selection should result in a rebound of his shooting percentage, which has historically resided in the mid-40s but fell to a career-worst 42 percent last year.

Coach Stan Van Gundy assured Josh Smith "he's likely to remain with the Pistons," according to Yahoo! Sports.

The Kings are reportedly after Josh Smith, but nothing is imminent. The Pistons still haven't made a decision on Greg Monroe, but he should sign an offer sheet in the very near future. Chances are both Monroe and Smith won't be back next season.

There are "no legs" on a deal involving Josh Smith being sent to the Kings, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Kings sound interested in Smith because they need a power forward, but they don't have much to offer in return. Smith isn't a great fit with the Pistons and coach Stan Van Gundy's system, so the right deal would certainly get it done.

Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy has met with Josh Smith, but wouldn't make any promises about keeping him.

The Pistons have reportedly re-opened discussions on a trade that would send Smith to the Sacramento Kings to play alongside Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins. While it's currently unclear what the Pistons would get back in this scenario, Van Gundy reportedly wants good value in return in addition to moving Smith's albatross of a contract. A frontcourt of Gay, Smith, and Cousins would have a wide range of potential outcomes, but Smith struggled in his first season in Detroit and a move to Sacramento would likely help Smith improve his 2013-14 averages of 16.4 points, 6.8 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting a career-low 41.9% from the field.

The Pistons and Kings are talking about a trade for Josh Smith again and are looking for a third team to join the party, according to ESPN.

Whether Smith can perform/exist alongside DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay is a big question, but it doesn't sound like the Kings would have to part with any key components to get him. You also have to think the Kings are still interested in acquiring Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who happens to be good buddies with Smith. If the Pistons can manage to ship Smoov out of town, it would open things up for Greg Monroe, as well. As of right now it appears that these are just preliminary discussions, but you have to think the Pistons are highly motivated to move Smith, and the Kings would look formidable on paper with a front line of Smith, Cousins and Gay.

Andre Drummond said coach Stan Van Gundy "knows that Josh [Smith] is better off at the four."

"It comes down to who's going to start the game," Drummond said. "And it doesn't really matter who starts and ends, it matters who wins the game." This isn't really an Earth-shattering update and everyone knows Josh Smith as a small forward just didn't work. The Pistons have to be at least looking to make a deal and the Kings have been the most closely linked to J-Smoove.

A sign-and-trade deal involving Josh Smith and Isaiah Thomas "may be in the works," according to Grantland.com.

The Pistons are believed to be interested in signing the restricted free agent while Greg Monroe reportedly wants to see Smith get traded. The Smith signing did not go well and the Pistons weren't a very efficient offense while their defense wasn't great either.

The Pistons have ended trade talks that would have sent Josh Smith to Sacramento, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.

A deal was reportedly discussed for a few days, but it's now "dead" after Detroit pulled the plug on Tuesday morning. The Kings may have been trying to acquire Smith with a package including Jason Thompson, Derrick Williams and an expiring contract, so it's not surprising that the Pistons didn't bite, but this doesn't mean that Smoove won't be shopped around for better offers.

The Pistons and Kings have discussed a trade that would send Josh Smith to Sacramento, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

No deal is imminent and it's unclear what the Kings would give up, but Stein speculates that the Sacramento may be targeting Smith as part of a larger plan to acquire Rajon Rondo, who is friends with Smoove. The Pistons' motivation would likely be to rid themselves of an ill-fitting frontcourt player while freeing up the salary-cap space to retain Greg Monroe and pursue other key free agents. To reiterate, this Smoove-to-Sacramento scenario is firmly in the 'rumor' stage.

Beat writer Vince Ellis believes the Pistons will try to trade Josh Smith this summer.

Skeptics that said Smith couldn't play effectively with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond were proven right as the Pistons bumbled to a 29-53 record. He's simply not a small forward. The problem is Smoove is just one year into a four-year, $54 million contract and is going to be extremely difficult to move -- even if it's for pennies on the dollar.

Josh Smith is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Presumably, he's not going to play tonight and we'll have an update hopefully in the next few minutes. Kyle Singler will get another start at small forward and gets the fun task of guarding Kevin Durant.

Josh Smith (knee) will not play in Sunday's game vs. the Raptors.

With the Pistons firmly out of the playoff picture, there's no reason for Smith to rush back from his injury and it's very likely Smith could be a shutdown candidate. Rodney Stuckey will draw the start, and he makes for a decent plug-and-play for those seeking points.

Josh Smith (knee) will not play against the Bulls on Friday.

This will be his third consecutive game out of the lineup and he could miss the rest of the season. Smith's signing over the summer has been a disaster for the Pistons and their scheme hasn't worked at all, especially on defense. Rodney Stuckey will start again.

The Pistons are not tipping their hand when asked if Josh Smith (knee) will be shut down.

Smith has already missed two straight games with patella tendinitis in his left knee. With just three games left in another miserable Pistons' season, it's possible he'll just pack it in. We should know more by 7pm ET Friday night, one hour before Detroit plays at Chicago.

Josh Smith (knee) will his his second consecutive game on Wednesday.

The team will start Kyle Singler at small forward for the second night in a row against the Cavs tonight. Smith's knee injure came out of the blue on Tuesday night and there's now a chance he won't make it back again this season. To be clear, this is just speculation on our and the severity of Smoove's injury is not yet known. Expect Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe to be bigger parts of the offense. Rodney Stuckey also benefits in the starting lineup.

Updating a previous report, Josh Smith didn't start Tuesday's game due to left patella tendinitis.

He wasn't listed as a starter but news of his injury didn't hit until moments before tip-off. Rodney Stuckey will move into the starting lineup in his absence, which leaves the backcourt short-handed since Will Bynum (knee) is also unavailable. Smoove should be considered day-to-day until the Pistons provide more information about his injury.

Josh Smith is not listed as a starter for the Pistons on Tuesday, though the cause of his absence is unclear.

Rodney Stuckey is expected to move into the starting lineup in his place. Presumably Smoove is out due to some recent and as-yet-unreported injury, but he may simply have been shifted to a deserve role for the second time this season.

Josh Smith scored 24 points vs. the Pacers on Wednesday with five boards, one assist, two steals, one block and three 3-pointers.

He started hot and has done well against the Pacers this season. In his three previous games vs. Indiana, Smith averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 boards, 3.0 blocks, 1.0 steals and 1.0 triples. He shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from the line in March as one of the worst players in the NBA for total shooting percentages.