Rajon Rondo is hitting the market as one of the top players in free agency and he is a target along with free agent Goran Dragic for teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, NY Knicks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers after his trade to the Dallas Mavericks, as he is not expected to return on a contract for the team.
Rondo is coming into the summer at the age of 29 and he is still relatively young compared to some other players hitting the market this offseason. Rondo has lost a step or two since dealing with his ACL injury with the Celtics, but he showed some flashes with the Mavericks of that explosiveness he once had. According to Bleacher Report, the Lakers are planning to look at Rondo as an option in free agency, but the team only wants to sign him at a "discount" and not on a max contract.
It's not certain that Rondo will be asking for the max amount of money that he can, as players like Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler are also on the market and will command major money. The Lakers need a point guard even with the emergence of Jordan Clarkson and Rondo has long been connected to the team in rumors and news reports. Last year when he was traded to the Mavs, Marc Stein at ESPN reported that the Lakers were next in line if that deal did not go through.
Rondo also could be a target for the Knicks, Pacers, Kings and Rockets in free agency, as all of those teams have issues at point guard. The Kings showed interest in Rondo last offseason along with the Pacers, while the Knicks are planning to chase a number of top free agent names on the market this offseason. Both the Knicks and the Lakers have over $20 million in projected cap space and that could pit them against each other to get Rondo.
Rondo has been called selfish by many in the media in the past, but at least one player disagrees, as NBA player Keyon Dooling came to Rondo's defense last month. The Boston Globe reported that Dooling said that Rondo was "one of the most unselfish players in the league" and that he still has the chance to be a main piece in a championship team. Dooling went on to say that Rondo still has a "bright future" regardless of what happened in Dallas and that he still is in his "prime" at point guard.
Rondo is an unselfish player in the sense that he is not a score-first type guard and can pass the ball with the best of point guards in the NBA. But his attitude issues have popped up multiple times in the past, including with the Boston Celtics and the Mavericks. Rondo and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle had their issues this past season and his time in Boston has been well-documented that he can be a bit prickly when it comes to teammates and coaches. But there still is talent with Rondo and if he isn't looking for a max contract, he should have plenty of suitors on the market.
