The 2014 season for Rajon Rondo is getting off to a slow start. Entering a contract season with the Boston Celtics, the point guard will begin the year on the bench after falling and breaking his hand. Rondo started last year in similar fashion as he rehabbed a torn ACL and now he will be forced to begin 2014 the same way which could force the trade everyone sees coming.
Rondo is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken left hand suffered in a fall at home. The point guard will miss the start of the season with the injury, causing the Celtics to turn their attention to rookie point guard Marcus Smart sooner than they likely had hoped.
The injury to Rondo is only the latest bit of drama to headline his offseason. The point guard has battled trade rumors for the entire offseason as he remains quiet about his intentions for free agency. The Celtics' star has seen his future be put into question ever since Boston dealt Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett prior to the 2013 season. However, while staying quiet helped him avoid any unwanted moves this offseason, the injury might not.
According to Krik Minihane and Gary Tanguay of WEEI.com, Rondo's hand injury could force a trade sooner rather than later. Several NBA sources were already reporting that the Celtics would look into mid-season trades for the point guard and this latest development will only expedite the process. Boston will not make any moves until they know exactly what Smart will look like in the league. If the rookie lives up to the expectations, Rondo can be considered good as gone. Many viewed Smart as the future point guard of the Boston Celtics after he was drafted and now he has a chance to prove those expectations true.
WEEI.com did not that the hand injury seriously hurts what Boston could get in return for Rondo. Minihane and Tanguay both believe the point guard's value is all-but demolished with the injury considering he also has a bad knee to his name and a poor locker room attitude. Head coach Brad Stevens already had to go on the defense about the point guard's attitude which likely put doubt in several team's minds about Rondo's worth.
Point guards will be in high demand come 2015 and there will be plenty of teams lining up for Rondo is Boston is not. The Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings have all been linked to his trade rumors over the summer. The hand injury should not hurt the interest.
