With the NBA Draft just hours away, rumors surrounding Rajon Rondo are heating up. If the Boston Celtics are going to trade away the point guard, they will do so before the draft in order to acquire picks to potentially replace him. Rondo has been on the trade block for a full season now and no deal has been made, so take these with a grain of salt, but the Sacramento Kings are at least going to try their luck with a deal.
According to NBA beat writer Mark Heisler, the Sacramento Kings are shopping their No. 8 overall draft pick in exchange for Rondo. That would give Boston the No. 6 and No. 8 pick in one of the deep drafts in NBA history which is a nice trade off. Heisler writes that Danny Ainge is already targeting a young point guard in the draft and having two top-ten picks gives them plenty of options on moves to be made.
If this deal is complete, it would be the first blockbuster deal of the offseason. It is not even July 1 yet and already players like Tyson Chandler and Jose Calderon have been sent packing. Could Rondo be the next? Sacramento would have to give up more than simply one draft pick. Back in February, it was reported that the Kings were offering up Ben McLemore, Isaiah Thomas and a pair of picks in exchange for the point guard, but Boston did not bite.
It is really unclear right now what Boston's plans are for Rondo. Ainge wants Kevin Love either this season in a trade or next in free agency. ESPN.com has been reporting that if Boston does feel they can land Love, then Rondo will be dealt. However, trading the point guard prior to the NBA Draft means the Celtics have given up their pursuit of the forward. With the extra NBA picks, Ainge wants to draft a point guard. ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that he is very high on Marcus Smart as an option, along with possibly Tyler Ennis or Jabari Parker if he drops.
The Kings are trying to be very active leading up the NBA Draft. ESPN has already reported their attempts at landing Josh Smith in a deal that would have sent Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson to Detroit. They like the sound of a Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Smith frontcourt. Could Rondo be the final piece?