RONDO HEADS TO THE BIG APPLE
Boston sends: Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass
New York sends: Amar'e Stoudemire, Tim Hardaway Jr and Cleanthony Early
Why it works for New York - The Knicks are horrible. Sorry, Knicks fans but you know it's true. The Triangle hasn't been working too well so far under new head coach Derek Fisher and president Phil Jackson. However, Carmelo is still in his prime and maybe all he needs is someone to run the triangle for him. Since arriving in New York, Melo has never had a point guard as talented as Rondo to run the offence for him (no, Jason Kidd doesn't count, he was waaaaaay past his prime). This trade could also help New York's chances of snagging Marc Gasol or another free agent in the 2015 or 2016 offseason if Rondo re-signs because Melo alone might not be enough to attract free agents who want to win. As for the Knicks acquiring Brandon Bass, he is just there to make the cap work (and he's on an expiring deal).
Why it works for Boston - Admittedly, I'm not sure that this is the best package that Danny Ainge could bring in for letting go of Rondo. However, Amar'e Stoudemire is still a serviceable big man and could become a mentor for guys such as Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk if he re-signs with the Celtics in the offseason. Tim Hardaway Jr is also a piece the Celtics would love to have. Boston lacks scoring behind Jeff Green (who could leave in free agency after this season) and Hardaway Jr would be locked up for another three years. Last, but not least, Cleanthony Early isn't here just to make the cap work like Bass is. Early is a legitimate prospect and was once considered a first round pick in this year's loaded draft. The Knicks got a steal in the second round and the Celtics would now have a building block at SF for a low price.
PG-13 GETS SOME HELP
Boston sends: Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass
Indiana sends: David West, George Hill and Solomon Hill
Why it works for Indiana - This trade is really quite similar to the New York one - superstar needs help, gets Rondo to run the offence and also receive Brandon Bass to make the cap work. Yes, Paul George is injured and this trade will most likely make Indiana an even worse offensive team this season due to Rondo's inability to consistently score. However, this trade allows the Pacers to get back to contending next season with their own Big 3 to compete against Cleveland (assuming that Hibbert gets back to his all-star play). The only thumbs-down for Indy on this one is letting go of George Hill, the hometown boy who the Pacers acquired in exchange for Kawhi Leonard back in 2011 (that sounds soooooooo crazy now). Indy needs to let go and realise that Hill has been a disappointment and isn't worth keeping around if you're acquiring Rondo .
Why it works for Boston - Again, this isn't exactly the best trade package the Celtics could receive for their all-star point guard but, seriously, Rondo has only got one year left on his deal - not a lot of teams are going to jump on the opportunity to grab him if they're not convinced he will stay. Anyway, back to the trade and David West can still put up solid numbers and could help develop Boston's young big men. George Hill could also split minutes with Marcus Smart so Smart doesn't immediately carry the big responsibility of running a team this early in his career by himself. Lastly, Solomon Hill is a young piece that Boston could potentially keep around after his improvement in Indy this year.
MOREY GETS HIS THIRD SUPERSTAR
Boston sends: Rajon Rondo and Phil Pressey
Houston sends: Terrence Jones, Patrick Beverley, Jason Terry and Kostas Papanikolaou
Why it works for Houston - Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey would be extremely happy if this trade happened after letting go of Chandler Parsons in the offseason. No, not because they are getting Phil Pressey (he's just here to give the Rockets a third-tier point guard). However, acquiring Rondo could either be amazing or disastrous for the Rockets. It could be amazing because the Rockets now have a Big 3 and an all-star point guard to run the show. It could also be a disaster if Rondo and Harden bumped heads on ball-handling duties, eventually making Rondo want to leave in the offseason, which would be on top of losing three of their building blocks as well to the Celtics. It's a risky trade but if it works out, Morey will be laughing his way to multiple championships.
Why it works for Boston - Out of the trades I've proposed so far, I imagine this package would be the most enticing for the Celtics, mainly because of PF Terrence Jones. After a slow rookie season, Jones improved vastly last season and, before getting injured, he was having an even better year this season. Jones is a legitimate rising star and slotting him next to Sullinger might be a problem but Sullinger could move to the center position or even the bench. Patrick Beverley is also a nice piece, as one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA. Jason Terry could make his return to Boston, after a short stay in 2012-13 (in which he got a tattoo of the Celtics logo on his arm). However, he's more just in this trade to make the cap work. Finally, Papanikolaou, the rookie out of Greece, has surpassed expectations this season and the Celtics would just have to hope for more of the same production and better for years to come from this promising talent.
VIVEK CAN'T RESIST CHASING ANOTHER STAR
Boston sends: Rajon Rondo
Sacramento sends: Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, Jason Thompson
Why it works for Sacramento - After the Kings hot start, it wouldn't be surprising to see owner Vivek Ranadive try and chase another superstar to pair up with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Yes, the Kings would probably have to let go of the surprisingly good Darren Collison and Ben McLemore and Jason Thompson too but firstly, you're getting Rajon Rondo so Collison is now expendable and secondly, McLemore and Thompson are apparently on the trade block anyway. The real problem for the Kings in this trade is evaluating whether or not Rondo would re-sign with the team this coming offseason, as Sacramento isn't a large market and they don't have all the right pieces to contend quite yet.
Why it works for Boston - If Darren Collison continues to play like he's been playing so far this season, then I think that the Celtics would love to have him as he's posting career-highs across the board. As well as Collison, Thompson is still young and has potential and McLemore is slowly, but surely, improving and would provide the Celtics with a scorer for years to come.
KOBE GETS HIS MAN
Boston sends: Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass
Los Angeles sends: Julius Randle, Jordan Hill and Jeremy Lin
Why it works for Los Angeles - Kobe has said before that he "loves everything about him", meaning Rondo (not Bass, who is, once again, only in the trade to make the cap work) and don't they just seem like a perfect backcourt fit as Kobe tries to capture his last ring before he retires in a few years. Of course, giving up a young piece like Randle would be hard but Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak would have to be sure that the bright lights of L.A. and an aging Kobe Bryant would be enough to make Rondo stick around after this season if he were to do this trade. If Rondo and Bryant show that they are fully compatible, it might make coming to L.A. a whole lot easier for incoming free agents (such as Marc Gasol, who would make the loss of Jordan Hill much easier to swallow). Acquiring Rondo would be the first step to bringing back winning basketball to one of the most successful franchises in league history.
Why it works for Boston - Giving up Rondo to a long time rival must be tough but today's NBA has changed and rivalries are not what they once were. If you are getting back two young building blocks in Randle and Hill, then trading to the enemy is well worth it. Hill has been a double-double machine this season and Randle is a promising rookie, despite going down with a season-ending injury in the first game of his NBA career. Lin is also included in this deal and although he is not a main piece in this trade, he could become one if he plays anything like he played back in his New York days, which he has flashed every so often. In this trade, Boston receives three young pieces (very young in Randle's case) to help their rebuild and, hopefully, these pieces will help them to compete for championships in the future.
Where do YOU think Rondo will be traded?
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Nice job James
ReplyDeleteI hope rondo goes to the lakers