The Boston Celtics may look at a Rajon Rondo trade this season and the Houston Rockets or Indiana Pacers could be interested teams along with the Sacramento Kings and if Danny Ainge doesn't sign Rondo long term, more trade rumors will come up since the team drafted Marcus Smart this summer and Indy may look at a deal to help with the Paul George injury and for an upgrade over George Hill.
The Celtics are not shopping Rondo and the team is not actively looking for a deal, but as he nears free agency the rumors will only get more pronounced. The team drafted Smart in the first round and while that doesn't necessarily signal a trade, the Celtics at least have some insurance there in the backcourt fi they do pull the trigger on a deal. According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Houston Rockets remain interested in a trade if the Celtics are willing, as they had hoped to make a splash in free agency and missed out on big names like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.
Stein also writes that the Indiana Pacers could be an option as well for a number of reasons, as they had ancillary interest in Rondo last year with some trade rumblings, while they also had interest this offseason in Goran Dragic from the Suns. Both of those were before Paul George went down with his serious injury and that could change things for the Pacers since he is their best player and leading scorer. Dragic was called a "dream" option by Stein since the Pacers want to upgrade from George Hill and while getting Rondo would take a lot, it's still a possibility for the team.
Many speculated that the draft pick meant that Rondo would get traded at some point, but Danny Ainge said that he sees both Rondo and Smart playing together at times for Brad Stevens. Smart is a dynamic talent and he gives the team a strong athletic presence and at 6-foot-3, 227 pounds many consider him like Jabari Parker as ready to play in the NBA right away without issue. Smart easily would have been a top three pick last season had he come out and declared and that is one reason why the Celtics went after him.
The Celtics also signed Evan Turner to a free agent deal and he could be a solid option off the bench or in the starting lineup after averaging 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season for the Pacers and Sixers. Turner was having a solid year in Philly before getting traded and now he comes in with still plenty of potential after being a number two overall pick.
Last season the Celtics had a tough year but that was not unexpected and now Brad Stevens is looking to make some progress this year as Ainge builds back the team. Rondo may sign a long term contract, but that isn't a concern right now for Stevens, as he wants the team to play their best ball and he has the chance to work with a number of young players like Smart and Kelly Olynyk. Rondo is a great player and he can be a mentor to Smart and no matter what happens, the Celtics win, as they will likely get draft picks if they trade Rondo and if they don't, well, they get to keep Rondo.
