When Mark Cuban made the trade to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics, he made it clear that the point guard was in the long-term plans for the Dallas Mavericks. Rondo will be an unrestricted free agent come the summer, but the Mavericks were planning on offering a contract extension since they would get the first crack at the point guard. That does not appear to be in the plans anymore as head coach Rick Carlisle made it clear he did not expect Rondo to return.
Rondo's relationship with Carlisle and the rest of the Mavericks has been up and down with more lows than highs. The Mavericks have officially ruled out Rondo for the remainder of the Houston Rockets' series with a back injury following his benching in Game 2. When speaking about Rondo's future, Tim MacMahon reported on Twitter that Carlisle said he does not expect to see the point guard in a Mavericks uniform again.
This only confirms the speculation from a number of NBA sources that Rondo would not be returning to the Mavericks in free agency. The Dallas Morning News reported the point guard had growing tension with the coaching staff and was ready to bolt immediately. Despite the coaching issues and disappearing act in the playoffs, Rondo will still be on the wish list of a number of teams, the New York Knicks being one of them.
According to the New York Post, Phil Jackson has had his eye on Rondo all season after failing to get a trade deal done in the middle of the year. The Knicks will have the cap space to make a big contract for Rondo work and he would fit the need of being an elite point guard. Jackson has never been fully committed to the future of Jose Calderon who was acquired in the trade of Tyson Chandler. Calderon has stated he would like to return to the Knicks next season, but after barely being on the court all year that is unlikely. Langston Galloway could easily stick around and be a solid backup to Rondo if the Knicks sign him.
Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets will also be recruiting Rondo in free agency. The issues with the Mavericks will likely not factor into the interest in him on the open market. Teams might attempt to get the point guard for slightly cheaper, but interest will still be there.
