News surrounding point guard Rajon Rondo is nothing but conflicting. The Boston Celtics continue to toy with trading the All-Star. Some believe he could be gone by the February deadline while others report Rondo will stay and be a building block for the future. After the point guard made his return following an ACL injury, rumors got worse and likely will not stop.
The latest trade rumors with the Boston Celtics actually does not include Rondo, but instead Jeff Green. Sam Smith of Bulls.com is reporting that Rondo might be the player that stays while the successful Green becomes the trade bait. Smith reports that the word out of the Celtics' camp is that Rondo is expected to remain with the team and likely offered a contract extension while Green gets placed on the trade blocks once again.
The Celtics have considered moving Green and as the trade deadline approaches, they might become more serious. The likely partner in a deal would be with the Houston Rockets, something that was negotiated a month ago. Boston could try and pair Green with Gerald Wallace in exchange for center Omer Asik. Boston would then use Asik and Rondo as the two building blocks for the future.
Green has tremendous value. The 27-year-old is averaging 15.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this year. He is helping carry the struggling Celtics as Rondo works his way back onto the court. The Celtics have been trying to dump off Wallace after he stated his unhappiness with the team. Putting him with Green could be a strong package for the Houston Rockets.
Anything regarding Rondo at this time is mere speculation. The point guard has been assumed gone ever since the Celtics dismantled following the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade in the offseason. However, he has stayed on. Now that Rondo is proving he is healthy to play the rest of the season, a trade seems even more likely. The point guard has one year remaining on his contract and is set to enter free agency where he will certainly gain a lot of attention.
Danny Ainge had once been adamant about saying the Celtics would not be active in the trading process this season. He did a great job of staying true to that as he traded Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks to the Golden State Warriors. Clearly anything is possible.