At 32 years old and in his 13th NBA season, Rajon Rondo has experienced every possible scenario and is looked to as one of the three leaders for the young Los Angeles Lakers.
Amid the Anthony Davis trade rumors, Rondo’s name was discussed, but it did not affect his overall performance on the court as he has been traded twice in his career.
However, the same cannot be said for some of the young core in Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball. For the first time in their young careers, they were all on the trading block and reacted differently leading up to the trade deadline.
Although the deadline has passed with Ball, Hart, Ingram and Kuzma remaining with the team, Rondo cautioned that they might not necessarily be able to move past the speculation, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“I don’t know if it’s that simple,” Rondo said. “It’s not like the trade deadline happens and then everything is going to be back to normal. Guys are hearing it. It’s a different mentality to have, obviously. Some of the young guys have never been through this situation.
While the Lakers were trying to improve their roster, there is certainly a human aspect to all of this. As the young core has been praised in their second or third seasons, including all of them in a Davis trade certainly sends a different message.
As a result, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson is expected to meet with the team and hopes to have an ‘open dialogue’ with Rondo and his teammates.
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