NBA Trade Rumors: The Best Deals for Rajon Rondo
Jan 23, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) takes the ball down the court in the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Danny Ainge said earlier this offseason that he wasn’t making calls in order to move Rajon Rondo. Instead, he said that he was listening and fielding calls. If he finds a deal that he deems worthy enough to trade the All-Star point guard, he’ll pull the trigger.
So what deals would be good enough? Well, for Rondo the market will be high. Even though he’s coming off of an ACL injury, those aren’t as damning as they were in year’s past and he’ll still be an All-Star level talent once he returns to the floor.
You’d have to think that Ainge will want a young, budding player in return and at least one first round draft pick. He was able to retain three from the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce–one for Rondo is a pretty suitable price.
I’ve put together a few deals from teams that were interested in acquiring the services of Rondo.
Deal One: Detroit Pistions
The Pistons Trade
Andre Drummond, Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey and a 2014 first round pick
The Celtics Trade
Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass
Why it makes sense for both teams
The Detroit Pistons get an All-Star point guard in Rajon Rondo and they dump an expiring contract in Rodney Stuckeyf. Rondo’s 2-year deal is cap friendly with him being paid just over the total of $11 million next season. He’d be getting paid $12, 909,090 in the final year of his deal, but the Pistons wouldn’t be trying to make a splash in free agency anyway.
Their main goal here is to win games now. Even though they gave up Knight, they’d be getting an All-Star talent at point guard in return. And with Drummond gone, they’d have room to play Smith at his natural position at the power forward spot and pair him with another skilled big in Greg Monroe–although, giving up Drummond is a hefty price.
The Celtics would be getting two young pieces to build around in Knight and Drummond and they’d get another 2014 first round pick out of the deal. Even though they’d have to take on Rodney Stuckey’s deal, I’d say that it would be worth the price. Especially if you get the chance to land three first rounders in a deep 2014 draft class.
Deal Two: Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks Trade
Larry Sanders, Luke Ridnour and a 2015 first round draft pick
The Celtics Trade
Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee and a 2015 second round pick
Why it makes sense for both teams
The Boston Celtics would get a solid piece to build around in Larry Sanders and a good point guard in Luke Ridnour. They’d get a 2015 first round pick that they’d be able to further catapult the franchise into the future with.
The Bucks would finally get the All-Star point guard that they’ve been looking for on their team in Rondo. They’d get a decent 3-and-D player in Courtney Lee and they’d also get a future pick that they would be able to either use and mold or mortgage into something else. You can never build too many assets in the NBA.
Deal 3: Houston Rockets
Rockets Trade
Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Terrence Jones and a 2014 First Round Pick
Celtics Trade
Rajon Rondo and Courtney Lee
Why it makes sense for both teams
The Houston Rockets get another All-Star to pair with the duo of James Harden and Dwight Howard. They also get a shooter to stretch the floor with Courtney Lee when they play small. Rondo will be able to get everyone going with his elite passing skill and will relieve James Harden of some of the stress of constantly being on the ball. They also get to dump Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin’s contracts.
The Celtics will get two solid players in Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin. Asik is one of the better defensive centers in the NBA and will be a key cog in the Celtics’ defensive blueprint. They get a good future project in Terrence Jones and a 2014 first round pick to help catapult their franchise into the future.
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If we see any of these deals come together, they should have the same pieces that I’ve highlighted above available. A lot of the other teams like the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks just don’t have the assets to acquire Rondo for next season.
These teams have the assets and may be willing to make deals. It all comes down to whether or not Ainge really wants to pull the trigger to move his superstar point guard. We’ll see what happens in the near future.