The Boston Celtics may look at a Rajon Rondo trade or a Jeff Green deal this season and teams like the Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, NY Knicks and Indiana Pacers could be interested in making a move if Danny Ainge wants to pull the trigger and while the Celtics right now are going into the season expecting to have Rondo on the roster, he may not make it through the trade deadline since he is headed towards free agency next year.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Celtics are planning on taking Rondo into the season with the team after rumors came up this summer about trades, but that doesn't mean he will last the full year. Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck spoke about Rondo on local TV and while he said that he wants to keep the point guard long term, he also called him stubborn and not very coachable. While the Celtics love Rondo and what he brings to the team, the comments don't make it sound like he is a player the team has in their long term plans.
PBT reported earlier in the season that the team is planning on keeping Rondo to start the year before signing him long term or trading him, as they want to see if he can stay healthy after tearing his ACL. Rondo came back last season and played in 30 games and looked good while averaging nearly 10 assists per game, but there is a good chance he could get traded. Rondo knows the Celtics are in a hard rebuild and if they are still far behind the east this season, there is a good chance he will be leaving in a traded or as a free agent.
The biggest issue with a trade is whether Rondo will sign an extension or not, as he can make more money on the open market as a free agent. If Rondo doesn't agree to sign a deal after being traded, it's likely that teams will not put up their best packages to get a deal done. The Cavaliers obviously didn't mind doing that with Kevin Love, but they feel that he will be signing an extension once he has the chance to hit free agent after being traded to Cleveland.
Earlier in the summer there were reports that the Celtics and Kings were talking about a deal for Rondo, but both sides came out to refute those reports. The Kings have long been mentioned as a destination for Rondo, as the franchise has been interested in trading for him since before last season. Rondo could be a target for a number of teams, as the NY Knicks and LA Lakers will have money to spend next year if he makes it to the free agent market.
With trades the Houston Rockets could be in the mix, as Daryl Morey has long looked at Rondo as a target. The team traded away Jeremy Lin this summer and while they like Patrick Beverley, they would love to upgrade with an All-Star like Rondo. That would give the team a Big 3 of their own, while the Indiana Pacers could try and make a move to help with the loss of Paul George to his devastating injury that will keep him out for the season.
