Rajon Rondo is set to be one of the top free agents on the market this summer and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets could target the point guard in free agency, as he is not expected to return to the Dallas Mavericks after his trade there this season.
Rondo is coming into free agency after a so-so run with the Mavericks and he ended up not even getting a playoff share from the team. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Mavericks are not interested in bringing back Rondo this offseason and that means he has the chance to sign with a new team this offseason. The Celtics have moved on from Rondo and Marc Stein at ESPN writes that the Lakers, Knicks and Rockets will be the top contenders for Rondo. Stein writes that the Lakers and Knicks likely will try for Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson before pushing hard for Rondo and there is a chance that Rondo could sit on the market for a little while.
Rondo is still a solid player, but he is not nearly the player he was when he was helping the Boston Celtics win a championship. Rondo is an ace defender, but he has not been as explosive since his ACL injury before last year and that could affect what types of contract offers he gets this offseason. Rondo may be looking for a max contract, but it's very unlikely he gets that with the way the NBA is going these days. What Rondo does best is not really what many teams are looking for and that could limit his options, as he is not a top scoring point guard.
Rondo has never been that and coming into this season he had looked good with the Celtics, but the team likely waited too long to trade him. Rondo averaged nearly eight assists and nine points per game this season and that was down from his numbers over the past few years. Rondo averaged over 11 points and nearly 10 assists coming into the season and in 2012 he averaged 11 assists per game. The Mavericks system was not great for Rondo and now he could be targeted by the Lakers and Knicks, as both are expected to address the point guard position this offseason.
According to Bleacher Report, Rondo is expected to be a major target for the Lakers, but the team wants to sign him for a "discount" and not a max contract. The Lakers have Jordan Clarkson emerging as a young player after he made the rookie team and he could end up starting if the team doesn't bring in Rondo. The Lakers may wait and see how the Rondo market develops and he could end up in Los Angeles, which some reports say is exactly what he has wanted since his time in Boston.
The Knicks also may chase Rondo this offseason, as they are going to go after Goran Dragic, but he is expected to remain with the Heat in Miami. If that happens the attention likely will go to Rondo or Reggie Jackson, but as a young RFA, Jackson could be in line for too much money over Rondo.