The Boston Celtics may look at a Rajon Rondo trade this season along with names like Jeff Green, Evan Turner, Brandon Bass and Gerald Wallace at the trading deadline, as teams like the LA Lakers, Houston Rockets, Clippers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors all could look at adding pieces and this comes as Rondo is heading towards free agency in 2015.
The Celtics have been connected to trade rumors involving Rondo for a couple years now and while Danny Ainge has been consistent recently saying that the team wants to re-sign Rondo, he could change his mind if the right deal comes along. The Celtics are rebuilding and that could mean a fire sale at the deadline with names like Turner and Green. Pro Basketball Talk reports that Green is likely to opt out of his deal at the end of this season and if that's the case, the Celtics should look at trading Green somewhere.
The report says that the market for Green could be as potent as the one for Rondo and while the money will not be the same, the attention from teams will be. Green is a solid scorer and could be a strong contributor to a playoff team and that is why many execs see him as a high value player on the market. The Rockets have long been a target for Rondo and they are expected to go after him and Goran Dragic on the market next summer. The Lakers also plan on targeting both players and that could create an interesting battle between those teams and the Celtics for Rondo.
Ainge has said that he is not looking to trade Rondo, but many execs feel that he has no choice because Rondo may leave as a free agent. Marcus Smart has played well this season and while he is a rookie, the team may allow Rondo to leave and let Smart take over as the point guard moving forward. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Green will have options on the free agent market if he opts out and that could lead to the Celtics making a move as well. The team traded Jordan Crawford last year at the deadline and now names like Green and Bass could be options for playoff contenders.
The Cavaliers have been connected to numerous names, including Timofey Mozgov, Corey Brewer and Tayshaun Prince and if none of those work out, they could target some of the Celtics players. Rondo will have plenty of suitors on the market and the Celtics likely will try and keep him no matter what happens. The Celtics can offer him a max contract and reports have the team looking into signing Marc Gasol as well. Gasol is likely to stay in Memphis, but he will have suitors in the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks and other teams.
Rondo has played well this season for the Celtics after coming back from surgery last year and he has the team at 7-12 and third in the Atlantic. The team will not contend this season, but they are on the upswing and their future looks much brighter now than the Knicks.