BOSTON – Nine years ago, Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith were roommates at Oak Hill Academy.
They watched film together. They walked to the gym together for extra workouts together. They played games together.
Could they team up again in the NBA?
“The conversation comes up,” Smith said. “We always tell each other how surreal a moment that would be, for us to be able to reconnect again in that realm. With the different free agencies that we both have, it could be far-fetched, but it could be possible, too.
“I’m always optimistic. I’m always thinking different scenarios. It could happen, but who knows?”
Smith said he and Rondo talk frequently and vacation together, but he adds, he’s happy with the Pistons and Rondo is still making his mark with the Celtics.
But if it were to happen, what would work?
The Pistons have previously shown interest in Rondo, and there also has been Smith-to-Boston buzz. So, either player could swap teams.
If they were to join forces in Boston, how about Smith for Jeff Green and Gerald Wallace this summer? Then, the Pistons should have the cap room to make that deal, accepting Wallace’s toxic contract as a tax for upgrading – in age, fit and contract status – from Smith to Green.
Or if the duo got together in Detroit, a sign-and-trade centered around Greg Monroe for Rondo could work. The Pistons would surely have to include more, but that would give the Celtics a player five years younger to make a cornerstone of rebuilding.
Rondo becomes a free agent in 2015, and the Pistons are reportedly trying to trade Smith. So, really, the reunion could occur in any city.