The Boston Celtics star point guard Rajon Rondo and Detroit Pistons high-flying forward Josh Smith were once teammates in Oak Hill Academy and they have always dreamt on the possibility of playing together once again in the biggest stage of basketball - the NBA. They may soon realize that dream but not in Boston or in Detroit but out West in Sacramento.
The Kings are geared up for a big mid-season trade before the February deadline and their top targets are reportedly Rondo and Smith. With $69 million guaranteed on the books this season, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders expects the Kings' aggressive front office to make a splash this season with a blockbuster trade.
"(The Kings') front office has been extremely aggressive and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them make a splashy move at some point between now and the deadline," Kennedy wrote Wednesday night. "I don't know what they have up their sleeve, but a big mid-season trade is definitely possible, just (look at) their Rudy Gay mid-season acquisition last year."
The Pistons were thought to be planning on dealing Smith but that might no longer be the case with Greg Monroe unlikely to resign next summer in free agency. The Kings and Boston, meanwhile, were reportedly engaged in trade discussions earlier in the summer before stalling, but there is a chance that the discussions could reopen this season. With Rondo set to become a free agent next summer, Ainge will surely attempt to get some value in return for him rather than letting him walk away for nothing according to HNGN:
With Rondo becoming an unrestricted free agent in July, he's unlikely to commit to re-signing with any team who trades for him. Rondo's purported desire to test the market makes moving him difficult for Celtics president Danny Ainge, but hardly impossible. Ainge is still expected to move Rondo mid-season and fetch something in return for him, as opposed to letting the All-Star point guard walk for free in July.
Josh Smith has a lot to prove after a disappointing 2013-14 season with Detroit and playing alongside a savvy champion and close friend in Rajon Rondo may just but what he needs to rejuvenate his career and become the borderline All-Star that he was with the Atlanta Hawks.
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