Ian Thomsen: Thinks C's will trade Rondo

[BleedGreen1989]

Well Chad Ford says that Flip is realizing that the C's might have the best offer:

TP Sed.

You're always dropping some news.

[Jon]

This is certainly possible, but several things need to happen for it to be plausible.

First, Danny has to fail in adding a few really good players to the roster this season that would make the Celtics contenders and satisfy Rondo that they were headed in the right direction.

Second, Danny would have to believe Rondo was not worth the Max and that he would not stay long enough for him to rebuild the team in any case.

Third, Rondo and his agent would have to be certain that there is a team out there willing to give him a max contract. That team would also need to be a contender and have pieces in place.

Fourth, Danny would need to find a team that was willing to give him 'value' for Rondo.

I don't see Rondo as a guy who is just going for the money. He certainly wants to be paid, but playing for a championship is also right there on his list. Danny has a proven track record of building playoff capable teams. That would indicate that unless there is an unknown factor such as a new 'secret big three plan' unfolding elsewhere that Rondo will get the best payday and best shot at playing for a contender by staying in Boston after all.

I think Danny will or already is quietly checking the market for Rondo's value as he moves forward on all fronts. This trade possibility will dramatically effect the draft and trades for the Celtics so I think it will be soon resolved if there is any grain of truth here.

Oh almost forgot, this guy is full of beans. He has no source, Just one mans opinion.

Well, regardless the source, I think as others have said. that if Ainge can't jump start the rebuild with a substantial upgrade of personnel, trading Rondo could be in order. 

But I agree with billysan's third point that it's far from a forgone conclusion that Rondo is going to get a max contract on the open market.  As much as I love Rondo, we are talking about a PG with a poor jump shot, who has had ACL surgery, and has had all of his NBA success with a triumvirate of Hall of Fame players at his size.  Now granted, I think that's underselling him by quite a bit, but I also think there's quite a good chance that the C's can retain him at less than max dollars. 

[Donoghus]

Has Rondo, or his agent, ever actually came out and said that he requires/wants a max contract?

[Fafnir]

Has Rondo, or his agent, ever actually came out and said that he requires/wants a max contract?

Its been widely said in the media.

Funny thing is, every player wants a Max deal, the question is do they think that's what the market will give them.

For Rondo so much depends on this year, he didn't show enough recovery last year to get a huge offer.

[Nef-Oracle]

Yeah we might trade him if we get a max offer, if we want to get rid of Wallace or if we're going for a youth movement.

[jay]

Wouldn't the Lakers be a more likely trade partner than the Kings?  Rondo for #7 and Nash?  If Nash retires, that would help the payroll.

Then you can draft Smart,  still do the Asik trade, still trade for Love using #6 and #17 and Sullinger.  Probably stuck with Wallace.

The two biggest questions left would be do you keep Green as a 3rd option and who is the new Sg?  Arron Afflalo, Eric Gordon, Kevin Martin (or just keep Bradley)

[obnoxiousmime]

The best time to have dealt Rondo was a year ago, but he was injured. Once you get to a player's last year, they hold most of the cards. All they have to do is say they won't re-sign with a team to scare a trade partner off. Even a team willing to take a chance will not offer full value due to the risk involved. Look at all the stars the past few years and count how many actually re-signed with their team before free agency.

I think Rondo, like any player, would like to make as much as he can while still playing in a good environment. One thing that may bother him is the feeling his last contract was below market value. This next deal will be his last chance to make big bucks and I wouldn't blame him for taking it. Remember, he wasn't even a high draft pick so his first deal was only 5.6 million for 4 years. Now he's been playing on this deal averaging 11 million/year for the last 5 years, while someone from the same draft class as him like Rudy Gay is making much more.

The final two interrelated things hurting the Celts' position is 1) they don't have anyone more important than Rondo on the team right now and 2) the team isn't very good. It's a lot easier to ask Rondo to take less if you've got two other superstars on the team who also need to get paid. The Celts' position is weak because you're asking the unquestioned best player on the team now to take a discount after he already took one on his last deal. What are you going to say at the negotiating table? That if Rondo took a discount again, it MIGHT make signing some theoretical stars more likely in the future? How is he supposed to react to that? Typically, teams that are good find players are more willing to take a discount while teams that are bad are the ones that have to overpay.

Jackie Mac made a good point recently that everybody is saying Minnesota has to trade Love or they'll risk losing him for nothing, forgetting that the Celtics are in the exact same position with Rondo. And we didn't even go .500 last season like the T'Wolves did in a much harder conference.

The best chance for the C's to keep Rondo if they aren't able to deal for a star before next year is if the market decides paying a PG who can't shoot 20 million/year is not a good idea. PG is a loaded position right now with plenty of capable guys who are making, or are projected to make in that 8-12 million range. I'm not saying Rondo isn't better than those guys, but is he 8 million better? 10 million? Can you win a title if Rondo is taking up almost 1/3 of your cap? Hey, stars like Duncan and LeBron are taking discounts now and that means if you're one of those teams whose star players are not taking less you're actually at a double disadvantage, because 1) your max guy is not as good as their max guy and 2) their max guy is now actually taking less money.

[Donoghus]

Has Rondo, or his agent, ever actually came out and said that he requires/wants a max contract?

Its been widely said in the media.

Funny thing is, every player wants a Max deal, the question is do they think that's what the market will give them.

For Rondo so much depends on this year, he didn't show enough recovery last year to get a huge offer.

But its all speculative, right?  Rondo hasn't come out and said anything.  Maybe the agent has used the media as a mouthpiece but that's speculative, also.

[Celtics4ever]

Doesn't love want to play with Rondo?   That would nip that in the rear.

[chambers]

If we can't get Love then it's possible he sends rondo somewhere like Utah for their 5th pick, or Sacramento for their lotto spot...but I can't see what teams give up value for him with one year left. I guess they'd have to be willing to pay him MAX money in 2015-16 before they make the trade.
The media speculation will say that teams are willing to gamble, but it's very rare in any case once it's time to pull the trigger.

Too bad Cleveland has Kyrie or we could present Rondo +the 6th +17th pick for #1.
I bet if Rondo went to Cleveland that would give Lebron some incentive to return.

Ultimately I can't see Rondo being traded. It's in the Celtics interests to re-sign him and add some top 15-20 players whilst developing our assets.

[Moranis]

Well Chad Ford says that Flip is realizing that the C's might have the best offer:

Well, that makes me happy

that seems like way to much to give up for Love.  I mean 6, 17, Sully/Oly, plus future firsts.  That is a king's ransom for a player that is not a king (and may not even be a queen). 

[GreenWarrior]

I think something getting lost in the Rondo trade talks is. Danny even admitted and told Rondo they tried dealing him but there were no takers at the deadline. Danny said "there's a lot of teams out there that are happy with their PG situation".

I think that was danny's way of saying to Rondo there won't be a huge market for you if you do elect to go to free agency and we can offer you the most money, you're stuck here.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Sucks for Rondo. He was probably worth a max deal sometime during his current deal, but we obviously signed up before he actually blossomed into a great PG. Now, after injuries, him getting older, us rebuilding, don't see him getting one.

[gpap]

Well Chad Ford says that Flip is realizing that the C's might have the best offer:

Well, that makes me happy

that seems like way to much to give up for Love.  I mean 6, 17, Sully/Oly, plus future firsts.  That is a king's ransom for a player that is not a king (and may not even be a queen).

I don't think so.

I view it as, you're trading pieces which may or may not be good for a player who is already good.

The other team (in this case, Minnesota) gets quantity while the Celts get quality (ala the KG trade.)

[Evantime34]

It comes down to one question. Do you think Rondo will demand out if the C's don't add an impact veteran this offseason? If you think he will, then trading him now is the best course of action. If you are sold on him leaving then his value will probably diminish with each passing day because he is set on testing free agency.

However, I think as long as there are improvements made this year we will be able to retain him by selling him on our young players developing and the cap space we will have next year (which we could use to bring an impact free agent to play next to him, assuming we can clear Jeff Green/Gerald Wallace off the books)