2019 NBA free agency: 5 players to stay away from

2. Rajon Rondo

During this, the latter portion of his career, the case for Rajon Rondo is complex and layered. As a floor general, his IQ hasn’t aged a single day. He’s still capable of running an NBA-level offense better than most of his contemporaries, with an eye for passing matched only by a handful of players.

The case against him is much longer. A former four-time member of the All-Defensive team, Rondo’s quickness in slowing down opposing guards has noticeably declined with age. The now 33-year-old vet has trouble getting by defenders and — despite a respectable 35.9 percentage from 3 last year — doesn’t command much attention from beyond the arc.

His gift is his brain, but it’s also proven to be his curse. Rondo is so savvy with the ball in his hands it’s led the undermining of a number of head coaches over the years. He calls audibles and is constantly questioning the authority’s play-calling methods. He means well, but his actions haven’t been taken as such.

Teams on the cusp of playoff contention may try to justify those headaches with the potential for Playoff Rondo, the mythical legend who ups his game come mid-April. His improvements are never guaranteed, and one has to battle through what is sure to be a stressful regular season just to get to that point.

Overall, the bad seems to outweigh the good with this former top-flight point guard. He can have stretches of greatness and even do some prolonged good with his immense basketball knowledge. There’s a reason, however, he’s played on four teams in as many seasons, and it’s not a positive one.