The Rajon Rondo trade rumor mill will start spinning again this summer and teams like the Houston Rockets, NY Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers all could be interested in making a move with the Boston Celtics and while a deal is unlikely in 2014, the Rockets are going to make a push for either Rondo or Carmelo Anthony and that means Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin could be traded.
The Celtics are coming into the offseason with a number of questions and Rondo is at the center of all of them and while the team has rebuffed deals in the past for Rondo, they could change their minds if they get a deal they like. Rondo is coming off of serious surgery and the biggest question for the Celtics is how long they think it will take for Brad Stevens to turn the team into a winner, as that will likely direct what the team does with Rondo. The Celtics had a rough season last year, but they could look to make some moves to accelerate the progress that Stevens made and this summer could be the start of that.
According to Marc Stein at ESPN, the Rockets, Knicks and Lakers all could make calls to the Celtics regarding Rondo and what the Celtics do will depend on what deals come their way. The Rockets are an intriguing option for a Rondo deal, as they have the talent to make a move and this comes after the two teams previously almost traded last season, although that did not progress into real negotiations. Stein writes that last season the Rockets balked at adding Chandler Parsons to the deal, which would have also included Omer Asik and that could be a hang-up for the two sides if it starts up again.
The Rockets and GM Daryl Morey are not afraid to make trades and this would be a big move for both sides and for Houston to get it done, they likely need to move Asik and Jeremy Lin. Both players are making a ton of money next year and if the team wants Rondo, there's no point in keeping Lin. Both players are in the final year of their contracts and that could make matters a bit easier, but the Celtics reportedly wanted Parsons in that deal because of the high amount of money they would take for either Asik or Lin. The Rockets love Parsons and that is one issue for the team, as they would like to lock him up long term rather than trade him, as he is a sort of Big 3 option with James Harden and Dwight Howard, maybe like a "Big 2 and a half."
While the idea of trading for Love sounds crazy, the Celtics have some pieces they could use along with a stable of draft picks and if they feel that a deal could get done, they may try and pry Love away from the Wolves as a surprise team in the race. Either way, Stein writes that all those teams will be interested in making moves this summer, it just depends on the ones that actually have a chance on going down along with Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James becoming free agents.
