Danny Ainge has been saying it all along: Rajon Rondo is the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics. He's the franchise player, the guy who is supposed to lead the Celtics as they make their transition into whatever they will be for the next few years. The Celtics president of basketball operations, however, has reportedly been taking phone calls about Rondo all along, too.
NBA trade deadline: Rajon Rondo is still the Celtics’ centerpiece
Boston elected to keep Rajon Rondo around at the trade deadline, so he will finish his eighth season with the Celtics.
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Leading up to Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors were reportedly interested. The Sacramento Kings apparently offered quite the bounty, though Rondo reportedly lacked interest in re-signing in Sacramento. Rumor had it that Boston wanted two first-round picks in return for Rondo, and who knows what kind of offers they received? There’s no real reason for Ainge to relinquish his star if what’s coming back doesn’t guarantee a brighter future.
Rondo missed almost a calendar year’s worth of action thanks to an ACL injury, and he has played 11 games this season, averaging 10.5 points, 7.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. He played a season-high 36 minutes on Wednesday in Phoenix, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. It looks like he’s rounding back into form, but the team is 19-36 and not going anywhere this season.
It wasn’t hard to see why the Celtics would see what was out there for Rondo, as he will be turning 28 on Saturday. Boston’s in a rebuilding phase now, and there’s absolutely no guarantee the team will approach contention while the point guard is in his prime. Rondo discussed his veteran status and his health earlier this week, via the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn:
“I think 28 is your prime,” he said. “Talking to a lot of the older guys, like I said, KG, Pierce, they are a certain age. So I have at least probably four or five more good years that I know that I can compete at a high level. And I had basically almost a year off, so subtract that. I’m about 27.”
The next 24-plus hours could be critical to Rondo’s career. The Celtics could show they have faith in him by not executing a trade and Rondo would have to return the favor by returning from major knee surgery with passion.
“It may take a year, it may take 18 months, hopefully it doesn’t take 36,” he said of returning to form. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable as time goes on. There’s still general soreness. I don’t think I’ve played even 10 games yet. I still feel good. I’m just glad to be back out on the court, playing basketball.”
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