Rajon Rondo will be one of the top free agents on the market this summer with Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson at point guard and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings could be interested in signing him and this comes as the Dallas Mavericks are not expecting Rondo to return in free agency.
The Mavericks traded for Rondo at the deadline this year and apart from some small samples, the overall trade was a disaster. According to ESPN.com, Rondo is not returning to the Mavericks next year and the team is not interested in bringing him back. Rondo "never fit in" with the Mavs, according to Marc Stein and the two sides opted for a "mutual decision" to part ways after reports about an injury to Rondo. The team did not give Rondo a playoff share and now he will be moving on again.
The Celtics likely wanted to trade Rondo much sooner than they did, but the team had no choice but to wait after he came back from his injury to make a move. The Mavs made the deal for some first round picks and while Rick Carlisle said the trade was a "risk worth taking" it turned out to be a disaster for the Mavs. Rondo now heads into free agency with some uncertainty, as his performance with the Mavericks will do him no favors on the market.
Rondo came into the season expecting to be one of the top free agents and he still will be, but getting max money could be tough. While the Knicks and Lakers have a ton of money to spend, it does not look like a guarantee that he will end up with a max contract with one of those teams. According to Bleacher Report, the Lakers are interested in Rondo, but only at a certain price, while the Knicks reportedly could go after younger free agents over Rondo.
According to the Sporting News, the Knicks are expected to have over $30 million in cap space and while they may meet with Rondo and Dragic, the team may focus on younger free agents. Sean Deveney writes that names like Reggie Jackson, Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe could be potential targets for the Knicks. The report about Rondo and the Lakers has the team interested, but "at a discount" and that could lead Rondo elsewhere. The Rockets may look at Rondo after having interest at the trade deadline, but after seeing him up close with Dallas, they could be turned off.
Rondo has not been the same player on defense that he once was and that takes him down a peg as a max contract player. Rondo has dealt with serious injuries in the past and he comes in after averaging just nine points and eight assists per game this season, who from 11 points and nearly 10 assists last season. The Knicks and Lakers remain options if Rondo doesn't ask for a max contract and he will be there with Dragic as the top point guards in free agency.
