The Celtics were keeping their options open on a number of trade fronts last night, but, according to multiple NBA sources, Dallas is making a sincere effort to land Rajon Rondo, adding that the process has been ongoing for days.
At this point, the Celts have been given an offer led by 6-foot-9 forward Brandan Wright, the eighth overall pick from the 2007 draft, who is in the final year of his contract. The Mavericks’ interest stems from the fact the pass-first Rondo would fit extremely well with shooters Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons and that free agent signee Jameer Nelson hasn’t panned out as well as hoped. Others beyond Wright would have to be included to make the numbers work and make the deal palatable to the Celtics.
But as of late last evening, nothing with Dallas or any other club was imminent.
The key element here is that there has apparently been a change in thinking behind the scenes that is affecting how the Celtics approach the next two months and beyond.
Sources are telling the Herald that the reality of the marketplace seems to be setting in as regards to Rondo, leading to the belief the Celts could get less than they hoped — or maybe nothing at all — for the four-time All-Star point guard on the last year of his contract.
The prime plan, as noted here for more than a year, has been to add a high-quality player to a rotation featuring Rondo, believing this would be the quickest way to push the club toward contender status. That was the desire last summer when the Celts tried most everything possible, to no avail, to get into the Kevin Love sweepstakes.
That was the plan to some degree even into last week. But president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has, according to league sources, begun to realize that the chances of acquiring an impact player are moving from slim to pipe dream and that the feared longer rebuild may be on the horizon.
That leads to the second option on the working script, which is to find a proper trade for Rondo, with the understanding that if the roster around him doesn’t improve, he will be harder to keep when he becomes a free agent next offseason.
The third option, if the Celtics cannot get a star to pair with him or get a worthwhile return in trade, would be to let Rondo walk. This would be the last choice, but word continues to be strong that the club will not take on anything that might weigh down its rebuilding just to get something for its best player.
Ainge wouldn’t comment on any trade speculation last night, but, said one general manager, “There’s only a couple of untouchables in this game, and you even have to find out what they’re worth or you’re not doing your job. That’s all that’s happening here, from what I can see.”
The difference, according to NBA sources, is what the Celtics are being told.
Rondo’s value is not what one might expect for a proven All-Star who has come back healthy from February 2013 ACL surgery and has posted some spectacular, if inconsistent, numbers, including three triple-doubles this season. The overall averages are clearly suppressing his attractiveness to suitors, with Rondo on pace for career lows in field goal and free throw percentage.
Rondo has said repeatedly his goal is to re-sign with the Celtics, but the club has no guarantee of that and appears to be operating as if an agreement is far from a foregone conclusion. And one has to wonder whether he’ll want to stick with the reconstruction project here if the locals aren’t able to show significant progress toward being able to compete for at least a conference championship.
What’s more, sources are questioning whether the Celts are willing to give Rondo a maximum contract, a deal he has said he believes he’s worth. This point could, however, be moot if Rondo makes it to the open market.
“A lot of teams are looking at Rondo,” said one league source. “There are a lot of teams he could really help. But at the end of the day, you’re still wondering about his shooting and the contract, and people still ask about what kind of guy he is.”
The reports from behind closed doors are that Rondo has, in fact, been perhaps his most coachable this season, and the best evidence along those lines is that he’s not dominating the ball as much, a key to Brad Stevens’ offensive plan.
But while the Celts know more definitively what they have in Rondo, the actuarial tables may be helping to ultimately lead them in a different direction.
Marcus Smart has had to deal with ankle and Achilles’ tendon injuries, but he’s made a strong early impression. Ainge has been saying since the draft that Rondo and the rookie can play together, but it’s hard to shake the notion that they are two alphas. And at 20, Smart is eight years younger.
What this means in the near term as the Feb. 19 trade deadline approaches is that Rondo will again be a hot telephone topic throughout the league. But if a move involving him does get made, it may not be the big bang many had theorized.
Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine · 57s57 seconds ago
