The Boston Celtics need to rebuild here shortly, and it appears they do not want Rajon Rondo around while doing so. Maybe it is the injuries, maybe they think that one coach was right last season, maybe it is something else, or maybe that general feeling that most people have isn’t true. Who knows.
What we do know, however, is that the Celtics have spent some time trying to shop Rondo lately. And now yesterday, we have this: a possible trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol for Rajon Rondo, straight up I guess.
This from a Hoopsworld report, via Red’s Army:
Additionally, sources have told HOOSPWORLD that the Boston Celtics do have interest in (Pau) Gasol for their All-Star point guard.
The Celtics have the potential for sizable cap room this summer but there is no true sense that Dwight Howard or Deron Williams would be within their reach.
Gasol has two years on his deal after this season which happens to line up when Paul Pierce’s is set to expire.
The Celtics have shopped Rondo on a number of occasions. For a number of reasons, sources say Boston does not intend to rebuild their roster around Rondo.
The drop off from Rajon to second-year player Avery Bradley (a capable defender but not as experienced as a playmaker) may not be as significant to the Celtics as the void in the middle that Gasol would fill.
Boston could consider bringing back veterans Ray Allen and Garnett, while using their remaining spending power to improve at the point. Alternatively, they could renounce the rights to their free agents and come up with at least $11 million in cap space.
I do not question Hoopsworld’s sources at all, those guys are solid over there for sure. But I do not think there is any way this is happening. My primary reason for saying that is because I believe it makes no sense. For either team, really.
The Lakers strength, outside of Kobe of course, is that they have two good to great big players up front in Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol. Odom is gone, and they have nobody else in there. The Celtics need to rebuild because their big three of Allen, Garnett, and Pierce are getting old, so why add the aging Gasol to that mix?
The Lakers do need a point guard desperately, and Rondo is a great point guard (great) but I don’t see how this upgrades their overall situation significantly. Nor do I understand, for the life of me, why you would prefer pairing Paul Pierce with an older Gasol for two more seasons as opposed to actually adding younger pieces around Rondo.
Rajon is no worse than the sixth best point guard in the League still, isn’t he? Why do the C’s want to dump him so bad?
