The Boston Celtics may look at a Rajon Rondo trade this season if the team can't sign him to a long term extension and teams like the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings could be interested in making a deal and Danny Ainge could afford to do it after drafting Marcus Smart, as he could be the point guard of the future for Brad Stevens and the franchise.
The Celtics have not put Rondo on the trading block yet and Danny Ainge has said that he is not shopping the point guard, but that could change later on this season. According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Rockets may be looking to make a big move after missing out on Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh in free agency and Rondo could be the target. Stein writes that GM Daryl Morey has long had his eye on Rondo and that last season the two teams were close to a deal but it never came to fruition.
Last year the Rockets and Celtics were close to a deal with Omer Asik, but the Celtics wanted Chandler Parsons and at the time Morey was not willing to give him. The way things turned out this offseason Morey likely would want to do that deal over again, but now he can concentrate on other moves. Morey wants to make a Big 3 of his own with Dwight Howard and James Harden and if he can't pull off a trade, he will be hoping that Rondo makes it into free agency after next season.
The Celtics are coming into the season after winning less than 30 games and while they showed some talent and improvement towards the end of the season, Brad Stevens knows this is a long process. The team added Evan Turner this offseason along with Smart and James Young and they have a solid core of young players to build around with Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley.
Smart is a versatile player and gives the Celtics many options and while Ainge said that Rondo and Smart could play together, it also allows the Celtics to make moves if they want. Smart has played point guard before at Oklahoma State and the team is thrilled to have him, as he likely would have been a top three pick had he come out last year. The Celtics love his potential and they feel him slipping in the draft will only motivate him to get better.
The Celtics signed Evan Turner and that could end up being a smart move, as he is a low risk player right now and it could end up being a high reward, as he could turn his career around in Boston. The Celtics made a similar move with Jordan Crawford last year and they were able to acquire something for him after flipping him to the warriors and now they could try the same with Turner. Last season Turner was having his best year before being traded to the Pacers and in four years in the NBA after being a number two overall pick, he has averaged 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
