This became a thread about Rondo (like many) but yes, there will continue to be trade rumors, and many of them will involve Rondo.
One thing seems to get missed though when trading Rondo is debated. People are very quick to point out that there is big risk in trading Rondo for a draft pick or player with potential because Rondo is proven.
There is some truth to this of course, especially when considering draft picks. But nobody talks about the risk of not trading Rondo. Rondo's knee may have future issues, he may decline, and he may sign elsewhere in 2015, leaving us with nothing (the same as what we end up with if a draft choice goes bad).
There is a timing factor in flipping Rondo now for a player who may come into his own in 2-3 years vs. Rondo who may sign elsewhere in 2 years. The hedge to Rondo signing elsewhere is to offer an extension. That would be risky too.
Proven or not, there is no sure fire way to go on this.
Lots of people are in fact talking about the risks of not trading Rondo. All the risks that you point to are, indeed, real risks. As far as I can tell, though, if we are playing the odds, keeping Rondo is the risk worth taking.
For those who are intrigued by the possibility of trading Rondo for the chance at a franchise player, I just want to remind everybody how often franchise players actually come around.
In the last approximately 60 years of the NBA, there have been roughly 30 players that we consider in that class of All Time Great, Franchise Level Players. By my calculations, that means that a player of that caliber comes around, on average, once every two years. Of course, there are better years and worse years, and there's a chance that Andre Drummond is one such player, and there's a chance that Anthony Davis is such a player, and , and Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle, and Aaron Gordon, and Marcus Smart . . .
But, the chances that more than one or two of them end up being that player are ridiculously slim. Potential is great, and young players that have it are fun to watch, but often times it's easy too get a little too carried away. Potential makes us lose sight of how rarely these "franchise" type players actually come along.
Of course I'd love for the Celtics to find a way to acquire a young player who turns into a top level all-time great, but I'm not willing to throw away a player of the caliber of Rajon Rondo for the chance at someone who "might turn into one."