Rajon Rondo has been mentioned in trade rumors since the offseason and now teams like the Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns have come up as possible destinations for the Boston Celtics point guard at the trading deadline and now it's up to Danny Ainge to decide what is best for the franchise.
Many have expected the Celtics to trade Rondo since the team traded away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets and now that the deadline is getting closer and he has returned, he could be a trade chip. The team has already started making moves with the Jordan Crawford deal and they have been rumored in others and now according to Pro Basketball Talk, many GMs around the league feel that the Celtics will trade Rondo despite saying they won't since the team is in the middle of a rebuild and a salary dump and that the point guard won't want to stay around for it.
According to the New York Daily News, the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets are potential destinations if the Celtics want to make a deal and since he has another year on his deal, teams could be motivated to make a move. Rondo is owed $13 million and many still see him as one of the best point guards in the league and he will need time to get back from his ACL injury fully, but he made his debut this season and now that's step one. The Suns have what the Celtics want in draft picks, as they have an extra first round pick after the Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat deals this offseason and with Eric Bledsoe out and the team playing much better than anticipated, this could be a good time to go all in on a player like Rondo.
The Houston Rockets picking up Rondo would be a deadly combination, as they already have strengths at nearly every position and adding a point guard like Rondo would be a huge upgrade from Jeremy Lin. The Celtics have already put together a stockpile of draft picks, as they have more over the next two years than Knicks and the Nets have combined over the next five years. The Celtics will be looking for picks and Rondo is sure to continue to get attention as the deadline gets closer.
