Rajon Rondo (2006-15)
You can’t tell the complete story of the modern Boston Celtics without mentioning Rajon Rondo. He was an undervalued and underrated part of the team’s success with the big 3 and emerged as his own star during his time in Boston. At the same time, you can also make the argument that the Celtics held on to Rondo a couple of years too long. Part of that was due to injury, in fairness, but they missed a window to capitalize on his value nonetheless.
During his final season with the Celtics (2013-14), Rondo played 22 games for the team before he was traded. In that stint, he was still averaging eight points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists per game. However, it was pretty clear that his magic was almost all but gone. As the team moved further into a rebuild, it was clear Rondo no longer fit with the team’s timeline.
Rondo’s career with the Celtics came to an end in 2014 when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Rondo would go on to play seven more years in the NBA, with eight different teams. He’ll forever be remembered as a Celtic, even if they did hold on to him a couple of years too long.