Ah yes, the monthly tradition of swimming through Rajon Rondo trade rumors. The star point guard has been thrown around in trades for years, and has been linked to the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, just about every team out there. Basically, these new reports don’t come as a shock. According to Steve Bullpet of the Boston Herald, the former Kentucky guard is back on the trading block.
So what exactly does that mean? Not a whole lot, especially for a guy who sees as much time on the trade block as Rajon does. This time, he wasn’t linked to any particular team, so is it worth keeping an eye on? According to Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, it’s all just speculation.
"“He’s still around a lot, at the [team] facility,” Stevens said. “We were out of it early. We didn’t make the playoffs. So we have something to speculate about. But it’s all speculation. Nothing has come across my plate. We’re excited about having him. Excited about him really having a great year next year.” (via A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE)"
This is starting to turn into the “reporter that cried trade rumor”. Stevens has denied it, and so has GM Danny Ainge, according to the Boston Herald. It’s hard to believe anything in the sports world however, so we really can’t put too much stock into either report.
Another thing that hasn’t really been brought up yet; why would Boston trade their one star? He’s proven to succeed in their system, being a multiple time All-Star and one of the best passers in the league. He’s shown that a Rondo-Avery Bradley tandem can be one of the best in the league, and maybe they are only a player or two away from contention.
Yes, Rondo is a highly sought after player, but it’s hard to see the Celtics getting back the same level of talent in return for Rondo as opposed to what he can already bring to the floor night in and night out. He’s struggled with his “diva” attitude in the past, but both he and head coach Stevens seem to have a good relationship, something Rondo may not have had with Doc Rivers.
When healthy, he’s one of the most talented players in the game, and pairing him with one more star (they do have a high lottery pick in 2014) could prove to be a deadly tandem for the most storied franchise. Who knows if Rondo is actually on the block, but if you’re looking at the history of rumors, he’ll be staying in Boston. This is going to be one of the biggest stories to follow this summer, and probably until Rondo retires, at this rate. There’s no telling what could actually happen as of now, but that’s what makes the NBA great.
Shawn McFarland covers the Boston Celtics for HoopsHabit.com
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