Grading the Deal: Celtics Reach Agreement to Send Rajon Rondo to Mavericks

According to espn.com’s Marc Stein, the Celtics and Mavericks have reached an agreement that will send Rajon Rondo to Dallas.

In exchange for the four-time all-star, Boston will reportedly receive Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder – who should be referred to as Jae Chowder or Chowdah for as long as he’s in green – Jameer Nelson, a 2015 first-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick. Dallas will also acquire Dwight Powell in the deal.

And so, as Rondo’s tenure with the Celtics comes to an end, let’s analyze the pieces coming back to Boston, and what this means for the Mavericks.

Celtics get: Brandan Wright, Jae Crowder, Jameer Nelson, a 2015 first-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick

With Rondo’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, waiting to move him until the trade deadline, which is February 19th, would only hurt the Celtics leverage. Furthermore, players must be held for 60 days prior to being traded if that team is over the salary cap and the deal includes multiple players.

While Rondo’s ACL injury impacted his value, what hurt his stock far more was his performance post Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

According to nba.com, in the 30 games that Rondo played last season, Boston was 6.9 points better when he was off the floor than when he was on it. This season, the team is 4.3 points better when its starting floor general goes to the bench.

At 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, Wright is a tall albeit skinny rim-protector. He leads the Mavericks in blocks this season, averaging 1.6 per contest. He is a tremendous athlete, which will not only come in handy at the defensive end but fits perfectly with Brad Stevens desire to build an uptempo offense.

Crowder is averaging just 10.6 minutes per game this season and does not excel in any particular area but plays with a high motor and for as long, or as short, as he is a Celtic, can be counted on to provide a consistent effort.

Nelson’s greatest values to the team are his, a two-year deal that is worth $2.7 million this season and $2.8 million for the 2015-16 season, per spotrac.com. He will also serve as a mentor to rookie Marcus Smart, who is now being handed the keys to the team.

Nelson will provide a veteran presence for Smart to learn from and perhaps he will even help the former sixth overall pick with his three-point shot.

As for the picks, we will have to see where they fall and how they are used. With the Mavericks adding Rondo to what is already a high-octane offense, it is unfortunate that the Celtics could not procure a future first round pick from Dallas.

Boston can also generate a $12.9 million trade exception by using its current trade exceptions in order to absorb the contracts that the team is taking on in this deal.

Dallas Mavericks: Rajon Rondo, Dwight Powell

The Mavericks are confident that they can resign Rondo and if this experiment goes the way that people expect it to, why shouldn’t they be?

At 113.6, Dallas already has the highest offensive rating in the league. Yet, they have failed to get much production out of the point guard position and frequently let Monta Ellis assume the ball-handling duties.

Now, Rondo will be able to help make Ellis and the rest of his new teammates more efficient and more effective. We saw how good Rondo was the last time he played with all-stars and he will likely replicate that success in Dallas.

Rick Carlisle is one of the smartest coaches in the league and between pick-and-pops with Rondo and future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki and Rondo throwing alley-oops for Tyson Chandler, he will find numerous ways to utilize his newest toy.