Rajon Rondo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Rajon Rondo

February 18th, 2014 at 9:36pm CST by Charlie Adams

Celtics coach Brad Stevens doesn’t foresee drastic changes coming to Boston’s roster any time soon, reports Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, but that won’t stop speculation from around the league on potential deals about players on his club. Rajon Rondo seems to be at the forefront of the discussion on the teams’ potential trades, so let’s round up the latest regarding the much-discussed point guard:

We heard earlier tonight that the Raptors were actively pursuing Rondo, but Chris Broussard of ESPN tweets that Rondo wouldn’t have any interest in remaining in Toronto long term. It’s not clear whether or not Rondo’s alleged unwillingness to remain with the Raptors is affecting the clubs’ pursuit, however.
If a deal is to take place that puts Rondo on the move, league executives know it won’t be until the closing hours before the deadline, according Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
As for the notion that Rondo wouldn’t be open to re-signing as a member of the Raptors or Kings, Amick notes (via Twitter) that any club that might acquire him would have 17 months to change his mind before his contract expires. Rondo is signed through the 2014/2015 season.

Amick’s Latest: Rondo, Love, Asik, Ilyasova

February 18th, 2014 at 8:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

Despite the high asking price set by Celtics GM Danny Ainge, Rajon Rondo is still being pursued by several teams, most actively by the Raptors, Knicks, and Kings, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Ainge is seeking multiple first round picks and a young prospect in exchange for Rondo, and no team has been able to present a deal that meets such a hefty cost. Here’ more from Amick:

The Timberwolves are willing to listen to offers for any player on their roster besides Kevin Love, says on league executive. It’s a common belief Love will part ways with Minnesota in the summer of 2015 to seek out a deal with the Lakers, and the Wolves want to do everything they can to help prevent such a scenario.
Omer Asik has been asking for a trade since the Rockets signed Dwight Howard, but Amick hears it’s unlikely the disgruntled big man gets moved this week. It’ll be interesting to see where Asik is come Thursday, since this news contradicts an earlier report stating the Sixers might be in play to land him.
The Bucks have emerged as a possible “longshot destination” for Asik, as the Rockets would be interested in a swap involving Ersan Ilyasova. The Bucks remain hesitant to take on Asik, who will receive a steep pay increase next season, despite word that Ilyasova is unhappy in Milwaukee.
Amick reiterates earlier reports that suggest Mike Dunleavy is unlikely to be traded away from the Bulls.
Jeff Teague might emerge as a fallback option for clubs that are unable to trade for Rondo, as rival executives believe Teague will be available to teams if the price of the package coming their way is high enough.

Latest On Rajon Rondo

February 18th, 2014 at 10:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are making one last push to acquire Rajon Rondo from the Celtics, but they’re convinced it’s a futile attempt even as they do so, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It sounds as if New York is doing its due diligence to make sure the four-time All-Star is truly out of reach as the trade deadline nears. Sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News there’s “very little chance” the Celtics find a suitable trade partner for Rondo, and that’s consistent with most reports. Here’s more from Deveney:

Boston is looking for a young player with All-Star potential plus multiple first-round draft picks for Rondo, Deveney says, adding that some would-be suitors are scared off by Rondo’s ACL injury last year. Teams that have called often abandon their pursuit once they realize the asking price, as Deveney explains.
The Kings highly value Ben McLemore, one of the players reportedly in their proposed Rondo trade, but the C’s would want a more well-established player in return, according to Deveney.
The Raptors don’t possess the assets to land Rondo, unless they get involved in a multi-team deal, Deveney writes.

Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Bradley, Sullinger

February 18th, 2014 at 8:31am CST by Chuck Myron

Other teams around the NBA appear to have joined the Knicks in their belief that Danny Ainge is more willing to move Rajon Rondo than he’s letting on. The Kings have reportedly made an offer for Rondo, while the Raptors have their eyes on him, too. The C’s appear to be demanding a pair of unprotected first-round picks for their All-Star point guard. Sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that those picks would have to be virtually guaranteed to come within the top few selections, even though Boston wouldn’t insist that both picks come in the same year. Here’s more on the C’s:

Bulpett hears that teams around the league have called the Celtics about Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green and Kris Humphries, as the Herald scribe writes in the same piece. While none of those talks are ongoing, the Celtics would like to make some kind of deal this week, according to Bulpett.
The C’s are open to acquiring a major player, Bulpett notes, and they’ll go into the tax if necessary, as Ainge explains to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “We would go over the cap for the right deal,” Ainge said. “We’re not going to go over the cap just for the cap’s sake, just because we’re not a playoff team this year, most likely, unless we turn things around quickly. I think that it would not be prudent to be a tax-paying team this year. But if we needed to be a tax-paying team to make a certain acquisition, we certainly would. We have the support of ownership and I think we have the best ownership in basketball. And they would certainly be willing to spend the money. It’s not that; it’s just the competitive advantage to stay under the tax for future years and to allocate our money the best that we can.”
Ainge tells Holmes that there are “a lot of different directions we could go,” and that the team could either make an upgrade or do a deal that furthers the rebuilding process. Ainge is also keeping an open mind regarding the team’s store of draft picks, of which there could be as many as 17 in the next five years. “You know what, I look at them as 17 opportunities to draft some really good players,” Ainge said. “Or maybe 12 opportunities to draft and five to trade, or five to draft and 12 to trade. It depends on the players.”

Raptors Interested In Rajon Rondo

February 17th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

We can add another team to the list of clubs that have interest in Celtics star Rajon Rondo. The Raptors have their eye on Rondo as they listen on offers for their own starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

Rondo has several fans in the Toronto front office and the Raptors are eager to bring in a bonafide star. Of course, the Celtics and GM Danny Ainge have gone on record many, many times to say that they won’t part ways with Rondo. However, anything is possible and at the very least, the phone lines have been open in Boston.

The Knicks still want to pair Rondo with pending free agent Carmelo Anthony, though it’s hard to see them putting together the necessary pieces to swing such a deal. Earlier tonight, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported that a deal sending Rondo to the Kings for Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and two picks was nixed due to the C’s star being unwilling to re-sign with Sacramento in the summer of 2015.

Spears On Rondo, Lin, Barnes, Turner

February 17th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Can the Rockets keep soaring past the All-Star break? In his latest power rankings, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports brings Houston up from No. 7 to No. 4, putting them right behind the Heat, Pacers, and Thunder. Will they make a big splash in the days to come to hold their spot? Spears has the goods on that and more..

According to a source, the Kings offered the Celtics Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and two picks for Rajon Rondo. However, Rondo wasn’t interested in re-signing with Sacramento.
While the Rockets would love to trade Omer Asik, a source says they won’t trade reserve Jeremy Lin due to the scoring value he brings.
Sources tell Spears that Warriors executives have informed forward Harrison Barnes that, barring a blockbuster offer, he will not be traded before Thursday’s deadline. Recently, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that he hopes to keep Barnes for the long haul.
The 76ers want to move Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes and could act as a third team in a significant trade.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey is in the final year of his deal but Spears hears that he has impressed GM Masai Ujiri.
The Pelicans could be trading guard Austin Rivers and the rights to D-League guard Pierre Jackson between now and Thursday.
The Kings are in the market for a veteran backup point guard who can push the ball up the floor.
With several teams looking for backup point guards, Bucks veteran Luke Ridnour could be on the move.

Celtics Seek Two Unprotected Picks For Rondo?

February 17th, 2014 at 12:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:26pm: Grantland’s Zach Lowe has also heard that the Celtics are demanding a pair of unprotected first-rounders for Rondo (Twitter link).

11:21am: The Celtics asking price for Rajon Rondo is “said to be” two unprotected first-round picks, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes in his weekly leaguewide roundup. That would be quite a hefty ransom for the four-time All-Star whom Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has consistently maintained is off-limits for a trade.

Few NBA teams surrender so much as one unprotected first-round pick via trade these days, never mind two, so it seems unlikely any team would match that price. The Knicks have consistently made Rondo a target, and they reportedly believe that Ainge is more amenable to a Rondo trade than he’s let on. The Knicks can’t give up a first-rounder for a draft earlier than 2018. Ainge served up his latest dismissal of Rondo trade talk this weekend, calling it “all a little crazy.”

The Suns, Rockets and Mavericks were also linked to Rondo last month, though there’s been little chatter connecting the point guard to those teams since. Rondo is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, but he’s expressed a desire for a long-term future in Boston.

Celtics GM Ainge Talks Trade Deadline

February 15th, 2014 at 11:38am CST by Cray Allred

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is staying in Boston during the All-Star festivities to work through the final week of Thursday’s trade deadline, along with many of his colleagues. He told Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald how the final days could shape up for the Celtics and the rest of the league. The whole interview is worth a read, and here are some of the highlights:

On what kind of deal the Celtics are looking for:

“We would do a deal to make our team better and use assets to get better right away. And we would also move veteran players to create flexibility and get draft picks. So we could go either way right now. But right now I think it’s a feeling-out process. I’m not talking about getting three wins better. I’m talking about being able to be significantly better next year.”

On the current landscape of buyers and sellers across the league:

“I don’t have a trading partner as of this moment. Right now there’s just a lot of people trying to feel out what everybody’s trying to accomplish. A lot of it is teams wanting to find out where everybody is in case there’s a chance to do a three- or four-team, multiple-team deal, in case there isn’t something that will work with just two teams. But I think everybody’s still trying to figure out what are the goals of each team going forward. And some teams don’t have as clear goals as other teams have.”

On the continued rumors of Rajon Rondo‘s availability, despite the team’s insistence to the contrary:

“I honestly haven’t paid that much attention to it. I’ve been asked those questions before, but I don’t know anything about those rumors. It’s all a little crazy.”

Suns, Warriors, Bobcats, Thunder Eye Bass

February 12th, 2014 at 1:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 1:31pm: An NBA GM tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that the Thunder have interest in Bass, too, as Amico shares in a chat with readers.

MONDAY, 2:42pm: The talk of Bass going to the Warriors has “little to no legs,” tweets Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, who isn’t sure how Golden State could pull off the deal unless the Celtics agreed to take on Marreese Speights.

10:30am: The Suns, Warriors and Bobcats are among a wide array of teams interested in Celtics power forward Brandon Bass, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The power forward is the most frequent subject of trade talk on the Celtics, a team that rival executives believe could be one of the busiest at the trade deadline, according to Deveney. The Celtics are willing to trade just about any player on the roster, short of Rajon Rondo, whom Danny Ainge wouldn’t give up for anything short of an “overwhelming offer,” Deveney writes.

Ainge has expressed a fondness for building through the draft, and to obtain Bass, the Bobcats would most likely give up Portland’s first-rounder, which the Blazers owe Charlotte, Deveney says. The Warriors don’t have much in the way of draft assets to offer Boston, but they could give up young players like Festus Ezeli, Nemanja Nedovic and Ognjen Kuzmic, as Deveney speculates. Golden State also has the flexibility of a sizable trade exception they acquired when they sent Richard Jefferson to the Jazz in the summer. The Suns see Bass as an alternative to a Pau Gasol deal, a source tells Deveney.

Bass was linked to the Rockets in December, when Houston was pushing to trade Omer Asik. The 28-year-old Bass is putting up 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game this season, numbers all somewhat above his career averages. He’s making $6.45MM this season, and will get $6.9MM next season in the final year of his deal.

Amick On Expected Buyers, Sellers At Deadline

February 7th, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Cray Allred

In his most recent column, Sam Amick of USA Today passed on a lot of information gathered from six NBA executives speaking anonymously regarding what he thinks will be a “very active swapping season.” Talk includes teams from around the league looking to win now or bolster rebuilding efforts. The entire article is worth the read, but here is a brief roundup:

The Knicks “have decided to think big” as the deadline approaches, and believe that the Celtics‘ Rajon Rondo is more available than Boston general manager Danny Ainge is letting on. Trading Carmelo Anthony is not being given serious consideration, despite all the speculation surrounding his willingness to re-sign this summer.
Rival executives think that if Ainge were to make any Rondo move, he would wait until just before the deadline to do so.
The Pelicans are thought to be willing to trade Eric Gordon, although moving the two-year, $29MM left on his contract would be a challenge.
If the Suns don’t acquire Pau Gasol, Thaddeus Young is another possible trade target before the deadline. It’s also believed that Phoenix would have strong interest in Rudy Gay this off season should he opt out of his player option.
The Spurs and Bobcats were mentioned by an executive as possible destinations for the Sixers‘ Evan Turner, either through a trade this season or when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
It’s more likely that the Pistons move players with expiring deals (Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva or Jonas Jerebko, for instance) than for them to part with Greg Monroe before the deadline.
The Timberwolves have great urgency to make the playoffs and keep Kevin Love content, and are thought to be willing to part with J.J. Barea, Dante Cunningham, and Alexey Shved for a deal that would help them avoid finishing another season outside the playoffs.
While the Grizzlies‘ Zach Randolph hasn’t said whether he will opt out of his contract this summer, he has indicated that he wants to remain with Memphis. For their part, the Grizzlies don’t appear to be shopping him. The Suns inquired about the power forward, but were told he wasn’t available.
The Magic aren’t eager to move Arron Afflalo, and it would likely take a proven player in addition to any draft picks to pry him away from Orlando.