The NBA trade deadline (Feb. 20) is almost exactly a month away and the trade rumors are starting to kick into high gear with one big-name potentially on the move.
According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, Rondo is rumored to be on his way out with quite a few GMs around the league predicting he’ll be dealt by the Boston Celtics:
More than a few GMs around the league expect Rondo to be on the move, if not at the trading deadline next month, then maybe in June at draft time.
Over the past few years, Rondo, much like Pau Gasol, has been one of the few big-names constantly mentioned in trade rumors. In fact, at one point it was rumored that the Lakers were interested in trading Gasol in exchange for the elite point guard.
Obviously, like all the purposed deals involving Gasol, a deal to send Rondo to the Lakers in a swap for Gasol never came to fruition.
Even though the Lakers have been looking for an upgrade at the point guard position for quite some time, it’s unlikely the team currently has any assets the Celtics would like to take on in return for the four-time All-Star. Gasol would once again be the team’s biggest bargaining chip in a potential deal, but it’s doubtful Boston would be willing to take him on as a rental for the second half of the season.
With the Lakers potentially out of the running for Rondo, Lawrence provided a few likely destinations in the Western Conference for the one-time NBA champion:
Rondo probably isn’t going to accept a role in a rebuilding situation with a rookie coach, Brad Stevens, so look for Ainge to try to move him to the West, with Phoenix and Houston seen as two potential destinations. Dallas has always had interest in the four-time All-Star, who blew out his right knee last January, but Mark Cuban doesn’t have the assets to make it work.
Every potential destination mentioned by Lawrence doesn’t not work in the Lakers’ favor. Adding Rondo to the Suns’ backcourt would make that team that much more dynamic while sending the perennial All-Star to the Rockets with James Harden and Dwight Howard might be enough to make them the favorites in the West moving forward.
As for the Mavericks, it doesn’t seem like a realistic possibility and might not be enough to propel them to title contender status even if Mark Cuban was able to make it happen.
It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out and if Rondo will ultimately be headed out West.
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