Rajon Rondo has continued to come up in trade rumors at the deadline this year and the Phoenix Suns are a top option that fits with the Boston Celtics and after exploring a Pau Gasol deal with the Lakers, the team could be willing to part with two first round draft picks to meet Danny Ainge's asking price for the star point guard.
Grantland.com, ESPN.com and Bulls.com writer Sam Smith have all reported that if Rondo gets traded (and that's a big if, but IF he gets traded) the Celtics will want two first round picks and unprotected picks at that and that is an extremely high asking price even for a player the caliber of Rondo. According to the report from Bulls.com, the two first round picks are where the Celtics want to start any deal and that is what Ainge really means by not shopping Rondo, as he knows most teams can't afford that deal.
The Celtics have said multiple times that they aren't trading Rondo and that very well may be, but all reports heading into the deadline say that the team will at least entertain offers if they meet that asking price. There are not too many teams that would even consider that trade and even fewer that have the assets to get it done, but there is one that out there: the Phoenix Suns.
The team potentially has four first round picks coming up and with the draft this year considered one of the deepest in recent memory, those picks are considered to be very valuable commodities. The Suns have multiple picks in the first round and since they have the Wizards and Timberwolves picks with conditions, those could be there as well for this season and ESPN,com reporter Marc Stein has written about and said on SportsCenter that the Suns are one team that could afford to trade for Rondo.
The Suns have long been reported on as a team that is looking to make a deal at the deadline and this comes as Phoenix has played well this sitting, sitting in playoff contention in the west at the All-Star break with a 30-21 record. The team is seventh in the west right now and they feel adding a player at the deadline could give them a nice playoff run as they continue rebuilding. Giving up the picks would be tough in the short-term since the draft is deep, but since they have multiple picks left after that, it could be something to explore.
The Suns have been linked to Pau Gasol for some time and while the team has taken a step back in that deal since he was injured, that is something the Lakers could get in on, as the Suns have space under the tax. Phoenix could absorb the deal of Gasol and his $19 million because they have Emeka Okafor and that move could bring down the tax for the Lakers considerably, but not all the way. The deadline has potential to be quiet this year with all the speculation adding up to nothing, but it's likely there will be at least one surprise.