Two seasons ago, Rajon Rondo was dealt from the Boston Celtics to the Dallas Mavericks. What seemed like a great moved for Dallas, turned out to be miserable. From having struggles in the offense to having chemistry issues, things turned south quick.
He signed a one-year contract close to $10 million with the Sacramento Kings, which looked like a little bit of a reach at the time. Now after a nice comeback season in which he averaged 11.9 points, a league best 11.7 assists (tied a career high) and 2.0 steals a game, he will be looking for a nice payday this offseason.
However, the Kings might not have any interest in bringing Rondo back. From Zach Lowe of ESPN.
“The latest scuttlebutt is that the Kings are prepared to cut bait with Rajon Rondo if the bidding for him gets beyond a certain threshold that is lower than we might imagine, given the Kings’ recent transaction history.”
It is understandable with the Kings. They have bigger holes to fill and Darren Collision has shown that he is capable of being the starter. They also have the 8th pick in the draft and might look to draft a point guard say they do not trust Collision. Unless Rondo is willing to take less money, he will not be back.
Like many other players, free agency could not come at a better time for him. The salary is going to go up for all teams so money will be spent this summer. Also, looking at the free agent point guard class, I only see him in a battle with Mike Conley as the top free agent point guard. With the class being thin, some teams might take a reach and sign Rondo to a big deal.
I am still a fan of Rajon Rondo and he really played well this year in Sacramento. At 30 years old, he can still produce and is one of the better ball handlers and disturbers in the league. If he leaves the Kings, I can see him going to a couple of places.
One team is the Memphis Grizzlies. If Mike Conley decides to walk away, he’d be a nice fit with them and their “grit-n-grind” style of play. Rondo would still make the team competitive with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph still there.
Another team I can see is the New York Knicks. New York has been a desperate for a point guard for the past couple of years. Who knows if he fits in the triangle, but it is a huge upgrade if he went there. With Carmelo Anthony still there and the exciting Kristaps Porzingis on the rise, this can be an interesting option for the former All-Star. Not to mention a big market like New York will pay him.
Rajon Rondo is looking for a deal that’ll keep him on a team for a couple of seasons. Having a nice bounce back year with the Kings showed that he can still play. He will receive a big payday in free agency.
