Josh Smith played flag football with Celtics

So, this is one of those stories that is a story only because people want to make a big deal about it, but here goes.

Josh Smith played with the Celtics out in L.A.! ...and by "played" I mean, flag football.

Rajon Rondo commits to leading Celtics - Yahoo! Sports

To add some fun, Rondo also put together a flag football game at UCLA that included referees. Rondo said the only Celtics that didn't play were Pierce and 7-foot, 255-pound rookie Fab Melo "because he might hurt somebody." Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, a close friend of Rondo's, also played.

So, read into that what you will. Or just head to the forums and read through 6 pages (and counting) of speculation about that.

The speculation isn't going to stop anytime soon either. Not when he is headed toward unrestricted free agency on a team that just traded away Joe Johnson for spare parts and cap relief.

Atlanta Hawks: New contract for Smith ‘unlikely’ this season | Atlanta Hawks

Josh Smith is entering the final year of his current contract with the Hawks but it is "unlikely" that he will be re-signed before the end of the upcoming season. The forward is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

It is worth noting that the team still could offer him more money and years than other teams could at the end of the year. So far everyone is saying the right things in Atlanta and there's a good chance that he'll stay there long term. Or maybe by midseason he'll be quietly (or loudly) be requesting a trade. I guess we'll see.

And by "we'll see" I mean he's obviously headed to Boston any day now.