Rajon Rondo has been the subject of trade rumors ever since the Boston Celtics sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets. As the team enters a rebuilding phase, Rondo could be a very valuable trade piece. After latest bout of rumors circulated, team president Danny Ainge is going on the record denying the reports.
Ainge is making it known there is no trust to the report by the Boston Herald that the Celtics would likely accept trading Rondo to the New York Knicks.
"I haven't talked to any teams about Rajon Rondo," Ainge said, via the Herald. "It's frustrating."
The calls Ainge has been fielding are about whether or not there is truth to the rumors that the New York Knicks were attempting to get Rondo in exchange for Iman Shumpert and Amar'e Stoudemire. The Knicks have been considering upgrading from Raymond Felton and believe Rondo could be the easiest player to get with the right deal in place.
The Celtics point guard has yet to take the court after suffering a torn ACL last season. Many had questioned whether or not Rondo was a part of the Celtics' future. Ainge is calling the point guard the center piece to the team's rebuilding. Numerous teams have expressed interest in Rondo, but so far Boston has yet to show any signs of getting rid of him.
Despite the denial from Ainge, Chris Broussard from ESPN is continuing to report the Celtics would accept a deal for Stoudemire if the Knicks take on Gerald Wallace and Courtney Lee. Wallace's contract has been the subject of a lot of debate recently. The veteran is owed $10.1 million on his current contract, but is only averaging 5.5 points per game and 3.3 rebounds. He has yet to find his place in the new system by head coach Brad Stevens.
Ainge can deny the idea of Boston trading away Rondo, but this is also the general manager that sent two future Hall of Fame players packing in exchange for almost nothing. Rondo has been the subject of rumors for almost three years and while the Celtics have never acted upon them, it is hard to believe they never will if the right players are presented to them.