Saying we shouldn't trade Rondo for Howard is pretty similar to saying we shouldn't have moved Big Al for KG, in my opinion.
Howard is just a vastly more valuable player, especially for this season.
Yeah pretty much... and Dwight is 27. KG was already 32 years old when we moved Big Al for him. And fwiw, Big Al's ceiling seemed a lot higher than Rondo's right now. Big Al looked like he'd go on to be an all-star big man (in a league where you need big men to win titles) and instead he turned into a consistent 18 and 10 guy. Big Al was 22 years old at the time... the idea of trading a 22 year old with a HUGE future for a 32 year Top-5 player at the tail end of his career is, imo, drastically different than trading a 27 year old flawed point guard with a TORN ACL for a 27 year old Top-5 player... the best big man in the game... 5 time All-NBA 1st team... 3 time defensive player of the year. I mean seriously.
You absolutely would have to trade a healthy Rondo for Dwight. It's a no brainer. You could have talked me out of trading Big Al for KG, though.
Dwight Howard has had a stellar career so far, but his back issues and his attitude issues are both major red flags. Kevin Garnett didn't have those issues when we traded big Al et. al. for him back in 2007.
Also, Jefferson wasn't already a top 15 player in the league back then. He was rather someone who had the potential to become one. There's a big difference.
I don't think it's an apt comparison at all. That trade worked out in our favor. To use that as evidence that a Rondo for Howard trade would work out as well doesn't really hold any logical water.
Big Al for KG was a trade where we substantially underpaid, and yet many fans didn't want to do the deal.
An injured Rondo for D12 would be a similar underpay, and yet there's a vocal contingent indicating their displeasure.
That's the comparison. When you get a chance to obtain a superstar, and you're paying less than perceived market value, I think you pull the trigger.