The Boston Celtics may look at a Rajon Rondo trade this offseason and teams like the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings could be interested in the point guard and names like Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green also could be potential targets for Danny Ainge after Marcus Smart was drafted with a first round pick and Evan Turner was signed off the free agent market.
According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Rockets could be looking for a big move to make this summer, as they have missed on Kevin Love, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony and now Rondo could be the target. Rondo is the best point guard in the league not names Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving and he is getting close to free agency. The Rockets are considered a team in the mix since they have long been interested in Rondo and on top of that, the team missed out on their major free agent targets this summer.
The Celtics are in a hard rebuild still that dates back to before last season and while Rondo has come up in rumors over the past two years, so far he has not been moved. Danny Ainge still has a major decision to make, as Rondo is coming up to free agency and he will either sign and extension or likely get traded. Some have speculated that the drafting of Marcus Smart means the team can afford to trade Rondo, but Danny Ainge has said that Smart and Rondo will be playing together for Brad Stevens this season.
Smart is an athletic and versatile player and he has played both point guard and shooting guard while at Oklahoma State. Last season Rondo came back strong from his ACL injury, averaging over 11 points and nearly 10 assists per game and now he should be even stronger with a summer of training under his belt. The Celtics signed Evan Turner this offseason and he could be a solid addition, as he is a low risk player that could turn out to be very productive and the team likely will try and flip him like they did with Jordan Crawford last season.
Last season the Rockets were one of the most impressive teams in the west, winning 54 games and getting one of the top four seeds, but they were upset in the playoffs by the Blazers. The team has a strong core with James Harden and Dwight Howard, but now they need another player alongside those names after losing Chandler Parsons. While Parsons was not considered an elite player by the Rockets, he still was a major contributor to the team and they have to make up for that production.
The team signed Trevor Ariza and that will help, but he is not the offensive threat that Parsons was and the Rockets may have to find other ways to get that going. Last season the team ranked second in the league in scoring with over 107 points per game, but the defense was ranked just 23rd in the league and the franchise needs to improve that this season. The Celtics have moves they can make and while Rondo is their best player, the best move could be to trade him.
