Four Possible Destinations For Rajon Rondo

Photo Credit: USA Today

All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo has been known to rub people around him – from former coaches, to former teammates – the wrong way. Now, Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck recently stated in an interview on WBZ-TV’s Sports Final Overtime, that Rondo is quote “super stubborn” and the “bottom 50 percent of being coachable.” Grousbeck goes on to say that the Celtics organization still want Rondo in their team’s future, but the Celtics in the Danny Ainge era have very unpredictable. With that being said, the Celtics just drafted point guard Marcus Smart from Oklahoma State with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Smart is a type of player who is ‘NBA Ready’,so if they see Rondo in their future why did they draft the talented Smart who can play immediately?  If Smart plays well and Rondo’s relationship with the organization sours there will be a trade during the season and it might happen even before the trade deadline.  Here are some destinations that I can see Rondo ending up.

1. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have two nice big men that can eventually develop into All-Stars in Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. So having those two players guarantee that the team has some sort of future ahead. What is currently holding the Pistons back is the likes of Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings. It was rumored early this summer that Greg Monroe did not want to re-sign because Josh Smith was still on the team and if it is true, the Pistons are still probably looking to move him in the near future. Smith did not work well last year as he attempted a career high 265 three-point attempts, but only made a disappointing 26 percent of them. Jennings didn’t have a good year either at the point guard position where he only shot 37 percent from the field, a number that he shot back in his rookie year as well. If the Pistons can somehow send a decent package involving Smith, Jennings, and another asset, this can be a possibility.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

I’m not sure how they would do it, but it’s the Lakers they always find a way. A team that has been in desperate need to find an above average guard for years now (a crippled Steve Nash doesn’t count), the Lakers could build around Rondo and come back to relevancy.  The Celtics would have to be really desperate to trade Rondo here due to the Lakers lacking in many assets. If all else fails, Rondo can sign here in the summer. Rondo seems like a guy to bask in the Hollywood lifestyle anyways. Rondo in a Laker uniform in the future is a definite possibility.

3. New York Knicks

We still don’t know what new President Phil Jackson has up his sleeves, but getting a star point guard to help Carmelo Anthony could be on his mind. Jackson has already been able to trade Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton for assets during the offseason. He may be able to pull off some more magic with a deal that interests Boston. From Rondo’s perspective, who wouldn’t want to be the guy to finally help bring the Knicks to glory since the Ewing days? Rondo and Carmelo would be a nice combo; a mix of scoring and rebounding from Melo and lock down defense with a play-making ability from Rondo.

4. Houston Rockets

Since Dwight Howard and James Harden don’t seem to respect role players, maybe getting another big time play-maker would suffice. The Rockets are in need to fill out their own “Big 3″ if they want to continue to be a highly competitive team. Rondo would nicely round out a position that the Rockets are in dire need to add depth to. Since Jeremy Lin was traded to the Lakers, the Rockets currently have Patrick Beverly at the starting point guard position. Backing him up are players like Isaiah Canaan, Ish Smith, rookie Nick Johnson, and now Jason Terry. The Rockets do have two interesting assets in Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas that might intrigue the Celtics. This one might be a long shot due to Rockets’ salary cap restrictions, but Rondo would bring some needed veteran experience to a young Houston team.