Apr 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) on the court before the start of game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Anyone who has been paying attention to the NBA off-season is well aware of the wholesale changes made by the Celtics. They started by trading Doc Rivers to the Clippers. Then followed that up a few days later with a blockbuster trade sending Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to the Nets. Those moves were a clear indication of tearing the house down in order to rebuild. The only piece left once the dust settled was Rajon Rondo. The question is will he be there for the entire 2013-14 season or will the Celtics look to move him as well?
My thought is, teams are looking to see how Rondo recovers from his ACL injury before pulling the trigger on a trade for him. There are two teams in the Eastern Conference that would be making a power move if they trade for a healthy Rondo. Both of those teams reside in the Central Division.
The Detroit Pistons have made a few moves in the off-season that have some of their fans excited for the future. They added Josh Smith, and Brandon Jennings to go along with their up and coming front court duo of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. While that foursome seems like they will be exciting, there is still some trepidation in my mind on how Jennings as the point guard will work out. He is a notorious for looking for his shot as option one and two, then looking to pass if it is not available. With the frontline that the Pistons have, they need a point guard that will be willing to feed the monsters. Rondo could be that guy. There were reports that the Pistons are still interested in Rondo despite the move for Jennings. It will be interesting to see if Joe Dumars is able to pull off a move involving Jennings, that will land the Pistons Rondo. That move could help the Pistons become one of the more intriguing teams in the East, and a dangerous one come playoff time.
The Indiana Pacers are a team that people believe can challenge for the Eastern Conference Championship. They bring back pretty much the same roster, including Danny Granger who was injured last season and made some solid additions in free agency. With last seasons emergence of Paul George, Granger is looking a little more expendable than before. It would not shock me to see the Pacers try to make a move for Rondo. C.J. Watson, and George Hill are both solid players, but they are more tweeners than true point guards. The addition of Rondo would make the Pacers downright scary, and in my mind, the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals.
These are two teams that may choose to stand pat. However, it is my belief that should a move happen, it will be by the Pacers. We have seen former Celtics players who work in NBA front offices help each other out in the past. With Larry Bird’s return to the Indiana’s front office, it will not be a shock to see him and Danny Ainge work something to land Rondo in Indiana. As stated, the Celtics seem to be in complete rebuild mode, with an eye towards the highly anticipated 2014 NBA Draft. Why not get rid of Rondo, and start completely from scratch? This writer is highly intrigued to see if this storyline develops, or if the Celtics choose to keep Rondo.
Feel free to comment, and let me know what you think. Which team do you think would benefit more from getting Rondo?