Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo reportedly will have a number of suitors before the NBA trade deadline. Among the teams expected to pursue him are the Los Angeles Lakers, the Sacramento Kings, the Dallas Mavericks, the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat.
Rondo is almost averaging a triple-double, but the majority of NBA insiders believe that won't be enough to keep him in a Celtics jersey beyond the trade deadline. Basketball Insiders' Yannis Koutroupis is the latest to weigh in on the potential trade and the teams who might pursue him.
"Yet, come free agency, the 28-year-old is going to be in high demand, even if his scoring woes persist," Koutroupis wrote Thursday. "... The Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Miami HEAT would all jump at the opportunity to add him and would likely make all of the necessary moves in order to clear space to sign him.
"A lot of the Rondo speculation has been fueled by the notion that the Celtics aren't going to be able to re-sign him, that Rondo is going to get lured away by a team closer to contending. However, with the way this season is going and the tough time he's having adjusting to his new role in this post-big-three era of Celtics basketball, there's legitimate reason to wonder whether they're better off by moving him now."
The problem, though, is twofold. One, teams are hesitant to trade away their future for a player who could walk for nothing as a free agent in the summer, and two, why would a team want to trade away their future when they can pick up him for nothing as a free agent in July?
If a Rondo trade happens, it'll be to a team who feels they're on the threshold of being a contender. Houston and (arguably) Sacramento would be the two most likely teams to deal for Rondo in that scenario.
The Lakers have also been mentioned as a team willing to trade midseason for Rondo, but it seems more likely general manager Mitch Kupchak will wait until the offseason and pursue Rondo as a free agent.
