With the season now under way, teams are optimistic and some have unrealistic expectations. Within a couple months, some teams inevitably won’t meet their lofty expectations and franchise players on losing teams will start to get frustrated.
Rajon Rondo will probably be one of these frustrated players. If he’s not already being shopped around by the opportunistic Danny Ainge, many believe he’ll most likely be on another team by the trade deadline in February. There’s been a lot of speculation swirling around where he’ll end up in a few months.
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The Sacramento Kings have shown a lot of interest in Rondo, and believe in the potential of a Rajon Rondo,
Rudy Gayand
DeMarcus Cousinstrio. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has been very aggressive as an owner and has made it clear he wants to win now.
Both the Celtics and the Kings have denied that they were involved in trade talks and with Isaiah Thomas now with the Suns, they may not be able to offer anything of interest besides multiple first round picks for Rondo.
Rondo has also asked the Kings to trade him and it looks like the Celtics are waiting for the best offer they get before the deadline. He’s a game changer on both ends of the floor and has has looked as good as ever after his ACL injury forced him to miss most of last season.
The Celtics’ asking price could be even higher if Rondo continues his early season tear.
As a point guard, his inability to develop a reliable jump shot after almost a decade in the league is a little surprising. At this point it doesn’t look like he can ever become a decent shooter but his defense, court vision, rebounding for a guard and his ability to finish at the rim make him an intriguing trade target for many teams that are lacking an elite point guard.
The Houston Rockets are another team that would be vastly improved with the addition of Rondo in the loaded Western Conference.
As a walking triple double threat on any given night, Rondo has quietly been one of the most dynamic point guards the league has ever seen. Since 1985, only Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd and Larry Bird have recorded a 15 point, 15-rebound and 15-assist triple double:
| Rk | Player | Pos | From | To | Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magic Johnson* | G | 1989 | 1989 | 2 |
| 2 | Jason Kidd | G | 1996 | 2010 | 2 |
| 3 | Larry Bird* | F | 1987 | 1987 | 1 |
| 4 | Rajon Rondo | G | 2012 | 2012 | 1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/2/2014.
Rondo is now in his age-29 season with only a few years left in his prime, and won’t want to waste it on a rebuilding Celtics team. Rondo has a lot of leverage in this situation. No team would give up valuable assets and trade for Rondo if he refuses to sign long-term with them.
Rudy Gay opted to exercise his $19.3 million player option for this season instead of signing a long-term extension with the Kings. Gay could choose to leave Sacramento in the summer, possibly making the Kings a less attractive destination.
It’ll be very interesting to see where he ends up since he could potentially make any playoff team an instant title contender.