Perhaps the Biggest question for the Boston Celtics is: what the heck are their plans for Rajon Rando? When the Celtics picked Marcus Smart as No. 6 overall in the 2014 NBA draft, it raised a lot of questions on the Celtic's desire to keep Rondo as part of their future.
And there was the hopeless pursuit of Kevin Love that signaled the end of Rondo's stay with the Celtics and the team's interest in Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas that made things even worse.
And oh, by the way, the Celtic's backcourt just became more crowded recently when the team decided to offer Avery Bradley a brand new 4 year $32 million contract. Of course, anyone can argue that Bradley can fill in the shooting guard role but his compatibility with Rondo has been a point of issue for the last 4 seasons.
Bradley, technically speaking, is not a floor general and is undersized at the 2-guard at just 6'2''. Neither Rondo and Bradley are also terrific shooters raising a lot of questions on whether they can mesh well together on the court when they reach the playoffs where opponents always capitalize on weaknesses.
But still, the biggest factor here has to be Marcus Smart. He is, however, more of a big combo guard ala Westrbook style rather than a pure court general like Rondo so he could perhaps, in theory, complement the 4-time All-Star. But if the Celtics will continue to miss the playoffs and run the mediocre treadmill for another year and miss out on Rondo through next summer's free agency, they have nothing to blame but themselves.
No one should be shocked, therefore, if ESPN's Marc Stein reports that Rondo may be heading out of Boston. The Indiana Pacers are reportedly interested in Rondo and they could use Lance Stephenson and his recent frustration in the 4 year $44 million contract that they offered him. They could use him as a trade chip for Rondo as it seems that Indiana is alright in letting Stephenson go with their recent acquisition of C.J. Miles.
Danny Ainge keeps telling us that the combination of Smart, Rondo, and Bradley could co-exist in the Boston Celtics but I don't buy it. Smart has the potential to be an All-Star player and it would be a shame to see him as a second unit with the C's.
Bradley, meanwhile is still 23 years old and it is clear that the Celtics are keeping him as part of their future after their 4 year $32 million extension. Rondo meanwhile, not so much as it looks like the Celtics are heading down the rebuilding road and a player like Rajon Rondo who deserves to be in a contender has no part in it.
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