Feb 11, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) drives against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Hawks beat the Mavs 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As we inch closer to the trade deadline at 3 pm, the Boston Celtics chances of acquiring Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith wanes.

Milwaukee, Phoenix emerging as frontrunners for Josh Smith deal, league sources tell Y! Sports. Boston still a “darkhorse,” one source says.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 21, 2013

The Milwaukee Bucks have become the frontrunners to land Smith. Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh could be part of a potential deal, but nothing seems imminent.

For Boston, the only way a deal can be made with the Hawks is if they offer Paul Pierce or Rajon Rondo which seems very unlikely.

The Celtics have also turned their attention to the Washington Wizards as they are interested in acquiring Jordan Crawford. Multiple sources report that if a trade was agreed to, Fab Melo would be the player Boston would swap for Crawford.

Boston has been relatively quiet since midnight, but knowing Danny Ainge, he might make a minor trade near 3 pm and acquire a piece or two. So far, nothing major is being reported.

Feb 1, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Washington Wizards shooting guard Jordan Crawford (15) shoots the ball over Memphis Grizzlies power forward Darrell Arthur (00) during the game at the FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Washington Wizards 85-76. Mandatory Credit: Spruce DerdenUSA TODAY Sports

The Celtics have long needed a scoring touch off of the bench. With Leandro Barbosa and Rajon Rondo out for the season, they’ve needed guard play as well. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com has reported taht the Celtics are looking to move Melo for the Washington Wizards’ benched gunner, Jordan Crawford.

Here’s the tweet from Broussard:

With Fab Melo as the bait, Celtics looking to add perimeter scoring. Wizards’ Jordan Crawford available @ on their radar

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) February 21, 2013

Crawford hasn’t played a game for the Wizards since the February 6th against the New York Knicks. He’s shown clear frustration with his playing time in Washington and has been reported to have requested a trade. Crawford has averaged 13.2 points–on 41% shooting–and 3.7 assists in 26.2 minutes per game.

Oct 20, 2012; Albany, NY, USA; Boston Celtics center Fab Melo (13) dunks against the New York Knicks during the first half at Times Union Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Petraglia of WEEI is reporting that the Boston Celtics have sent center, Fab Melo back to the D-League.

Celtics announced Friday that they have assigned center Fab Melo to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Since returning from his last assignment to the Claws, Melo, a 7-foot center, appeared in two games with the Celtics. Melo played three minutes against the Magic before playing the final five minutes Thursday night against the Lakers.

Melo recorded his first two career points in the blowout win, to go along with a steal and a block.

In 19 games (17 starts) for the Red Claws, Melo is averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 blocks a game while averaging 27.7 minutes.

This is raising some suspicion that a move could be made. The Celtics are thin on the front line with Jared Sullinger done for the season after having back surgery. Earlier today, Ric Bucher of ESPN reported that Boston was interested in adding another big man, and that the Memphis Grizzlies could be a possible trade partner. According to sources, Courtney Lee is drawing interest and the Grizzlies would like to add him to their backcourt.

Seeing that Boston desperately needs a big man, it’s odd that they would send him back to Maine. If a move, whether via free agency or trade, was made sometime tonight or tomorrow, it would be unlikely that the player Boston acquires could play Sunday against the Nuggets with the blizzard that is currently shutting down the state.

Of course this is all hypothetical, but obviously something is up. While Fab Melo didn’t play many minutes in his two games, having him on the bench, ready to play if someone got injured was somewhat reassuring, no matter how inexperienced he may be. The trade rumors are picking up. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett might not be going anywhere, but it seems like Danny Ainge has got something up his sleeve.