Rumor: Rondo to the Kings (based on fake twitter accounts)

[Lefty5790]

Nothing would surprise me with DA. I think it could be highly possible if KG unexpectedly retires too. I agree it would be for the #5 pick and Evans, but I think Cousins is the diamond in the rough here. He puts up numbers comparable to Howard, Love, and Bynum... and he's younger than all of them. As much as I'd love Rondo to retire as a Celtic, this trade does make a lot of sense. If the trade happened, you could move in the draft wherever you wanted besides #1. As for the extra cap space, here's the list of all the free agents, restricted and unrestricted, for the 2012 and 2013 off-seasons.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/FreeAgents-12-13/nba-free-agents-2012-2013

Just to name a few:

Eric Gordon     2012 restricted
Roy Hibbert     2012 restricted
OJ Mayo         2012 restricted
Dwight Howard   2013 unrestricted
Josh Smith      2013 unrestricted
Andrew Bynum    2013 unrestricted
Ty Lawson       2013 restricted
James Harden    2013 restricted
Al Jefferson    2013 unrestricted

With Rondo's contract gone and Pierce and KG retiring, well you know what they say: there ain't a problem in this world money hasn't solved.

[BballTim]

With Rondo's contract gone and Pierce and KG retiring, well you know what they say: there ain't a problem in this world money hasn't solved.

  Tell that to most of the teams that cleared cap space to sign LeBron when he was a FA.

[mctyson]

Just to try and kill this thread:  I would bet all my liquid assets that Rondo is not getting traded.

[jyyzzoel]

Just to try and kill this thread:  I would bet all my liquid assets that Rondo is not getting traded.

lol! agreed. TP though for the way you put it.

[Moranis]

Sounds fake to me

+1

Agreed as well.  Danny was tied pretty strongly to Evans when he was drafted, and he's supposedly in love with Harrison Barnes this year.  Clearly, with some of the players we've worked out, Danny thinks he has the firepower to move up.

So...  I guess Rondo for Evans + #5 isn't completely out of the question.

I wonder if Boston could also get Cousins by throwing in a first (and maybe a future first). 

I think I would do

Rondo, 22, 2013 1st

for

Evans, Cousins, 5

Puts the C's in pretty good shape next year and going forward with Bradley, Evans, Pierce, Garnett, Cousins, 5, 21, Bass, Green, Johnson, Dooling, and Pietrus.  I like that team a lot.

I'll have to preface everything I say with the fact I probably wouldn't trade Rondo for LeBron.  So take it for what it's worth.

On the surface, your deal of Rondo/#22/2013-1st for Cousins/Evans/#5 is probably close to fair.  That 2013 1st better be lottery protected though.  I'm not interested in trading Rondo, #22 and a future top 5 pick (possibly) for lesser players and a #5.  Even if the picks equal out, Rondo is better than Evans and Cousins combined (although Cousins has potential to be really good, his attitude is a big turn off for me).

If we make this deal, KG will assuredly retire.  If KG retires, Pierce is gone too (retire/amnesty).  We'd basically be blowing it up.  Your proposed line-up would never happen.  Bass would be wasted money (wouldn't want him), and Dooling/Pietrus would go to some contender.  I might not even keep Green, especially if we can draft Royce White. Thus, we'd probably be really bad for a few years (creating the need for the lottery protection on the future pick we'd be sending).

This is how I'd see the line-up shaking out:

C-Drummond (#5)
PF-Cousins
SF-White (#21)
SG-Evans
PG-Bradley


Not a terrible starting spot (I guess), but we'd still be bad for a few years.  Also, I'm not too excited about a Evans/Bradley back-court.  Neither are true PG's, it could be rather bad.

Yeah, after seeing that line-up, that's depressing.  I'd much rather keep Rondo.

I don't believe this trade will make KG retire.  This trade will have almost no effect on KG's decision and in fact might actually make it easier for him to come back because it would make the Celtics much better and deeper in the paint and thus would be a big help to KG

[Snakehead]

Am I the only person here who thinks SAC would never do Tyreke AND the 5th overall pick for Rondo in what's considered a talent heavy draft?  There'd have to be something of more value going the other way too to make it reasonable, perhaps Bradely.

I think it's a good deal for Sacramento.

Rondo and Cousins would be a very good base to build off of. Rondo's experience and established game would help that team considerably. Help the Kings develop their young players + future acquisitions. They have too many dumb/inexperienced players; having someone like Rondo to guide them would be of great aid to that team.

Not sure how valuable that #5 pick is to Sacramento. There is nobody there that I am wild about for that team. Even if they don't trade for Rondo, I think they should consider moving that pick. Maybe for a young star or an established in his prime star or even trade down for extra assets.

I want to agree with you regarding Rondo's experience, but if Tyreke is being shopped mainly because of immaturity, I think Rondo's immaturity could be equally problematic in that locker room without heady veterans around him like he currently has in Boston.

  Those heady veterans around him all talk about him being a leader of the team, as does his coach.

This always bothers me about Rondo criticism... where are people getting the immaturity line from?  From the past... Rondo is the leader of the team.  Everyone recognizes that and he runs our offense, literally, by coaching players, yellling at them telling them where to go and what matchups to use.  He is smart and mature.  He doesn't get along with everyone, but that's because he has some fire to him.





Also, this trade isn't happening.

[tyrone biggums]

This rumor has been fanboy wishful thinking around here since the playoffs ended...why do we want Tyreke Evans again? The number 5 pick that has as much of a chance of being Ron Mercer as it does to equaling the value of a guy like Rondo. People around here love the word potential, I do too but you don't blow up a team that could have won the NBA title this year. I would hate to see what zany trades would occur if we had the Thunders roster. You'd probably have someone post "Would Durant be enough to move up to #1?"

Just be happy with having a top point guard and just accept that Rondo isn't going anywhere! Plus we all know that no rumors are confirmed unless they come from Rob Lowe's twitter page anyways.

[rickyfan3.0...]

There is no validity to this rumor, is there?

[Vermont Green]

There is no validity to this rumor, is there?

The validity level of this rumor is probably low even by draft week rumor standards but the Celtics did work out some of the players expected to go in the 5-6 range.  This could be nothing more than a pump-fake by DA but I think there is enough smoke around this to feel that either a trade with Sac or Portland (Crawford's name keeps coming up) involving Rondo is at least a possibility.

And for this Kings trade, are you kidding me, Evans and the #5 for Rondo?  That would be excellent value back for Rondo.  That doesn't mean I don't like Rondo or that I want to trade him, I just feel that would be a good exchange of assets for the Celtics.

[JOMVP]

I think this scenario only happens if KG retires. I think Danny Ainge still thinks you can't build around Rondo, because Rondo isnt what he is unless he has a couple surefire all stars playing with him. Its stubborn thinking considering that Rondo should have crushed that assessment this year in the playoffs cause he carried that team (this statement coming from a guy who vehmently wanted Rondo out of here before the start of the season.

Unless you can unload Rondo + picks + Moore/JJJ and get Evans, Cousins, and #5 you dont do that deal.

I'd rather use Portland as the trading partner and get either Batum/Matthews plus their picks and get Drummond and either Rivers/Ross to build around.

[Moranis]

What if Boston makes one of the proposed trades in this thread and then uses its cap space to absorb Mo Williams contract (odom goes to the Clippers and Dallas gets a trade exception and out of Odom's contract so it can sign Deron Williams).

Leaves Boston (if it was my proposed trade - Evans, Cousins, 5 for Rondo, 21 or 22, and 2013 protected first)

G - Mo Williams, Evans, Bradley (nice little 3 man rotation)
SF - Pierce, Pietrus
PF - Garnett (8 million), Johnson
C - Cousins, Stiemer

Plus #5, #21 (or 22), and whatever free agents were signed.  Probably would have to lose Green and Allen (and maybe Bass) to get the cap space to absorb Williams, but I think I might be ok with that given the totality of the circumstances.

[Rondo2287]

What if Boston makes one of the proposed trades in this thread and then uses its cap space to absorb Mo Williams contract (odom goes to the Clippers and Dallas gets a trade exception and out of Odom's contract so it can sign Deron Williams).

Leaves Boston (if it was my proposed trade - Evans, Cousins, 5 for Rondo, 21 or 22, and 2013 protected first)

G - Mo Williams, Evans, Bradley (nice little 3 man rotation)
SF - Pierce, Pietrus
PF - Garnett (8 million), Johnson
C - Cousins, Stiemer

Plus #5, #21 (or 22), and whatever free agents were signed.  Probably would have to lose Green and Allen (and maybe Bass) to get the cap space to absorb Williams, but I think I might be ok with that given the totality of the circumstances.

Pierce and Garnett would be the best facilitators in that lineup.  Which i guess isnt a terrible thing, but im not sure how i feel about it.

[Jeff]

made it to Chad Ford's chat - where he shoots it down

Marc (Sacramento, CA)

A friend told me about a rumored trade involving Sac and Bos. Kings send Tyreke and the 5th pick to the Celtics for Rondo and the 21st and 22nd picks. I told him he was crazy but thought I would check in with you first.
Chad Ford  (2:14 PM)

Celtics did REALLY like Evans prior to the draft. But don't see them giving away Rondo anymore. Especially with the future of Kevin Garnett still up in the air. Celtics want him back.

[tonyto3690]

Yeah, there is absolutely no way this happens.  Rondo is the building block for our future, and trading him for two gambles is horrible business.  The only way Rondo gets traded is for a superstar who wants to be here in the level of Dwight Howard, which for a multitude of reasons is obviously not happening.


The only way I could see this happening is if we signed Nash and KG to 2 year deals to match Pierce, and trade Rondo for Cousins and #5 and a future first.  In that scenario it's all in for two years and then build around Cousins, Bradley, #5, and hopefully a future stud.  Even that is pretty flakey.

Rondo is a borderline super star talent.  The only thing he needs is to perform like he can on a consistent basis.  If he does that, he will entire top 5 player discussion.  Rondo seems to have nights where is completely unstoppable and will put up 20-10-10 no matter what you do against him.  He just needs to play something like that for the majority of games, not just one of every five or six or whatever.

[Celtics18]

Rajon Rondo is 26 years old, major injury free, on one of the best contracts in the game, is a proven big game player with tons of experience, and he's one of the top ten players in the game.  You don't trade a guy like that for prospects and draft picks. 

You find prospects to build around him.