The Los Angeles Lakers added one of the final pieces to their roster by agreeing to terms with Rajon Rondo on a one-year, $9 million deal. Here’s why it’s a good move.
In somewhat of a shocker, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms to bring in veteran point guard Rajon Rondo on a one-year, $9 million contract, per Yahoo! Sports‘ Shams Charania.
The Lakers will be Rondo’s fifth team in the last five seasons after spending the first eight-plus seasons with the Boston Celtics, which included a title in 2008 and being a four-time All-Star from 2010-13.
Rondo is fresh off a season with the New Orleans Pelicans where he averaged 8.3 points, 8.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, and was a catalyst on both sides of the ball in the Pelicans’ sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs.
Rondo figures to be the fourth player to come to terms with the Lakers after the massive LeBron James announcement, following the one-year agreements with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee. These moves haven’t been received as positive due to the team draining most its remaining cap space on players that weren’t in high demand and don’t represent the strongest fits next to LeBron, even if the Lakers maintained cap space for next summer.
I don’t think this deal is bad at all, despite Rondo and LeBron having plenty of postseason confrontations. I am not a fan of renouncing the rights to Julius Randle to bring Rondo in on a similar price, but here are three reasons why this is a good addition for the Lakers.