Rajon Rondo will come up in trade rumors for the Boston Celtics and this comes as he heads into free agency next summer and teams like the LA Lakers, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, NY Knicks and Sacramento Kings all could be interested in making a move, while reports say the Celtics may try to keep Rondo long term while also chasing Marc Gasol as a free agent in 2015.
Rondo is coming into the season with a broken hand and he comes back after playing in 30 games last year following his ACL surgery. Rondo looked good in those games, but the Celtics want to make sure that he can stay healthy, while Rondo wants to see where the Celtics are in the rebuilding process before committing long term. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Danny Ainge and the Celtics want to get a long term deal done with Rondo and since they will have cap space, the team is also planning on going after Marc Gasol in free agency.
If Rondo and Gasol make it to the market, they will be targets for a number of teams, including the Knicks and Lakers. The Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all will have cap space to spend and with those three premier franchises looking for players, it will be interesting to see who ends up signing where. The Knicks have long been interested in Rondo, but he may ask for too much money after the team just signed Carmelo Anthony. The Rockets also have wanted to get their hands on Rondo, but their cap situation could be tough next season and that could affect what they do.
The Celtics have set themselves up well for all scenarios, as they drafted Marcus Smart this summer and he can serve as an insurance policy for Rondo. Smart was a lottery pick and he should have gone even higher than he did, but he stayed in school and extra year and now the Celtics have him and he could be the point guard of the future. Smart is an athletic guard and Ainge has said that he thinks both Rondo and Smart can play together, but clearly he also can be the starter of Rondo is injured to open the season.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that Gasol could be a target for the Celtics in free agency, as they would like to keep Rondo and since they will have money to spend, Gasol could be an option. The Celtics are a young team and the franchise is rebuilding and keeping Rondo would be huge as they try and develop the roster under Brad Stevens. If Rondo makes it to the market he will be getting plenty of attention and he could get some very big offers as well.
The Celtics have to weigh that with what they think Rondo can be moving forward after his injuries and the way the season starts over the first few months may dictate what the team does. Last season the team was one of the worst in the league, but that was part of the plan and now the rebuilding can really get going this season as players like Smart and Kelly Olynyk develop.