The Boston Celtics have a roster of young talent and this year Danny Ainge will be asked about a Rajon Rondo trade like he is nearly every week and teams like the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings all could be interested in a potential deal and this comes as Rondo is nearing free agency and unless he signs a long term deal soon, the trade rumors will persist.
Rondo just came back from a serious injury and looked good at the end of the last season and now he is looking at 2015 free agency and he will be the biggest name on the market once Kevin Love is traded. According to ESPN.com, the Rockets and the Pacers could be looking at a deal for Rondo this season depending on how the Celtics year turns out, as both could use upgrades at the point guard position. ESPN reporter Marc Stein wrote earlier in the summer that the Houston Rockets would look at Rondo as a trade target after missing on free agents.
The Rockets signed Trevor Ariza, but Stein writes that the team was disappointed that they did not get a high level free agent like Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh and that is why a trade could be an option. Kevin Love was a potential target earlier in the offseason, but he now is obviously moving to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stein also wrote about the Pacers interest in Goran Dragic and if that deal doesn't go down, they could turn their attention to Rondo. The team has to find a way to replace Paul George and they also have wanted to upgrade at point guard from George Hill.
Rondo will be making $12,909,090 this season and then he will be an unrestricted free agent and that comes after he signed a five year deal worth over $55 million. Rondo will be a top trade target if he doesn't sign another deal with the Celtics and if the team wants to rebuild hard, they likely will trade him. Danny Ainge has spoken about wanting to keep Rondo, but if he gets a good enough deal with draft picks, there is a chance they he could pull it off.
The Celtics drafted Marcus Smart with their first round draft pick this year and that sparked some to say that Boston would be trading Rajon Rondo, but naturally Danny Ainge shut that talk down. Smart played point guard and at other positions at Oklahoma State, so the team would have a nice option if they deal, but right now nothing is happening there. Smart comes in after being considered a top three draft pick had he come out a year earlier and now the Celtics have a great looking guard who is 6-foot-3, 227 pounds and is considered to be "NBA ready".
The Celtics come into the season after going 25-57 last year and they are looking for some improvement under Brad Stevens and they have a strong young core to build around. Smart and James Young join a team that already has Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green and the team also added Tyler Zeller in a trade. The team has the chance to make some improvements and with Rondo heading towards free agency, the trade rumors will only keep coming.
