Lying season is most definitely here.

On Sunday night Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that the 49ers and an unnamed team had a deal in place to trade Alex Smith. I reacted to it, noting that the whole thing smelled fishy.

Now there's this:

With the caveat that everyone fibs at this time of the year: I'm told the #49ers do not have a trade deal in place for Alex Smith.

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) February 25, 2013

When I wrote about what I thought were a few holes in the initial Alex Smith trade rumor, I wasn't trying to say that the Chiefs weren't interested or that the trade wouldn't ultimately happen. Maybe it will. I was just saying that right now -- two weeks out from when trades can actually happen -- it doesn't make any sense that the 49ers would shut the market down and have a deal in place.

The key in these free agency and trade rumors is to figure out where the information is coming from. That will tell you the motivations behind the source.

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