I have no idea why some are so against the very thought of trading Rondo. More than likely we will get fair value for Rondo. However, what people here deem as fair value seems very much in question. The Nuggets were handcuffed into basically trading Anthony to NY and they received plenty of value, perhaps too much. And that coincidentally is the answer to the thread starter's question, of "when has a team ever traded their best player and it worked'. Denver has played much better since the trade.
Rondo's warts are plentiful. If he had personality issues, but could actually shoot from the perimeter and consistently hit FT's, then I could deal with his quirky behavior. However, how can you not trust your "best player" in late game situations? You basically have to hide him late in games. Does anyone even remember one time Rondo has ever hit a wide open medium range jumper in the last couple of minutes of a close game? So while Rondo makes his teammates better in the first 3Q, maybe even first 42 minutes of a game, I argue that he makes his teammates life harder during the latter stages of his game with his sheer inability to shoot. When Rondo is in transition he is usually phenomenal, when he isn't trying to make a highlight reel pass, but once the game slows, as it does in the playoffs, then his game isn't that of an all-star type player. Not even close.