It’s becoming increasingly evident that the Boston Celtics are preparing to trade All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo.
Now comes this report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports indicating that the Dallas Mavericks are showing an “increasing interest” in a trade for Rondo.
Rondo, somewhat of a malcontent in Boston, is regarded as a divisive figure around the NBA. He’s also one of the most-talented guards in the entire Association.
The former All-Star is averaging 8.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game this season. He’s also putting up a career-low .399 field goal percentage for the 8-14 Celtics.
If the Mavericks were to find a way to land Rondo, it would immediately put them up there with the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies as the top teams in the Western Conference.
The idea behind Dallas’ interest would be to team Rondo up with Monta Ellis to create a small, but lethal backcourt combination. And while this wouldn’t match the Splash Brothers in Oakland, it could create some major mismatches.
Dallas’ interest in Rondo has reached the point that it has started the vetting process. In addition to checking out his medical history, this also means that the Mavericks are likely talking to former Celtics coaches and executives regarding Rondo’s mentality and often standoffish attitude.
But it remains to be seen if Mark Cuban’s squad has the assets on the roster to get something done here. The Mavs are said to be willing to move a first round pick in 2015, which would be a necessity in any deal. Considering Dallas doesn’t have a lot of young pieces, it might need to get a third team involved to facilitate a deal.
We will provide further updates when they become available.
Photo: Fox Sports