Rajon Rondo Trade: Grading Dallas, Boston’s Haul
The speculation is over (for now). The Boston Celtics have traded Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Danny Ainge and the Celtics have seemingly been shopping Rondo for years, and with the relative success of Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley in the Celtics backcourt, the days had been numbered for Rondo. Now, he gets a fresh start with a playoff team. Who got the better deal?
Here’s the official deal (the 2015 pick will have some lottery protection):
DALLAS MAVERICKS GRADE: C+
Rondo is a four-time all-star guard who has led the league in assists per game twice (2011-12, 2012-13) and is leading the league again this season, with 10.8. He’s been known as a bit surly and has a nasty streak, which is an enormous positive for a team that, while terrific offensively — has been quite underwhelming on the defensive end.
Rondo has also led the league in steals per game (2.3 in 2009-10), though he’s failed to eclipse 1.8 steals per game in any of his previous four seasons. The 6-foot-1 guard out of Louisville, Kentucky has played well, though his numbers (and his actual game) have often raised eyes, as he’s never been a great shooter and this season he’s gone even further into the tank.
Averaging 8.3 points represents his lowest total since his rookie season, but Rondo often skates by because of his 7.5 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Still, it’s hard to call someone a superstar when their shooting line is a paltry .405/.250/.333.
The reason Dallas doesn’t get a greater grade here is because they didn’t need help offensively. They’ve been sharing the ball well and Wright had been a terrific backup center. Rondo has made four all-defensive teams, though none since 2011-12. Still, he’s an upgrade over Nelson and Devin Harris. The other major issue is the fact that Rondo is in a contract year. They are truly going for a championship — and that’s to be applauded — but it’s quite risky.
BOSTON CELTICS GRADE: B
It’s hard to give the Celtics a high grade when they gave up their best player, but the fact is — Rondo didn’t seem like he was happy and the Celtics were facing the very real possibility of watching him walk away for nothing. I’m a big proponent of making trades earlier rather than waiting until the trade deadline, because there are too many things (injuries, poor play) that can hurt a player’s value.
The Celtics pick up a veteran in Nelson, though he won’t figure into long-term plans with Bradley and Smart in the backcourt. The picks are nice, but the Mavericks don’t project to be a bad team, thus those picks are a crapshoot at best. The real value come in the acquisition of Wright and Crowder.
Though Crowder hasn’t blown anyone away with his performances, he’s been a consistent spark off the bench and he’ll fit the Celtics system. He can bring energy off the bench, can score in spurts and is a serviceable 3-point shooter (34.2 percent this season).
Wright is leading the league in shooting, making 74.8 percent of his attempts. He’s just 6-foot-9, but he’s a very long 6-foot-9. In just 18.7 minutes of play, he’s pulling down 4.1 rebounds and is blocking 1.6 shots. He’ll be a great addition to a C’s frontline that struggles to block shots, as they are just 29th in the NBA, blocking 4.1 shots per game.
All in all, the Mavericks and Celtics got what they were looking for and the grades are based on my own feelings about how rosters should be handled. The Mavs are in win-now mode and took the worst of this trade in hopes of bringing home another championship, while the Celtics got a couple of building pieces for the future and a couple of solid rotation guys who are still young enough that they can further develop.