Before the Celtics traded him to the Mavericks, it seemed Rajon Rondo had one foot out the door.
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were swarming, but once Boston – who feared Rondo leaving as an unrestricted free agent – traded Rondo to Dallas, he said the Mavericks were in the driver’s seat to sign him.
Still, Kobe didn’t relent. The Lakers reportedly remained interested as of a few weeks ago.
At this point, with Rondo’s situation in Dallas devolving by the day, it’s worth looking back to Rondo’s approach in Boston.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Carlisle will be back, so I guess Rondo is gone. Carlisle apparently sees it the same way.
So, once again, attention turns to the Lakers.
If he panned to sign with them before, I can’t see why that still wouldn’t be the case now. Rondo remains respectful of Kobe, and other suitors will likely back off due to this disastrous run in Dallas.
The Lakers should back off, too, but this could come down to how deferential they are to Kobe. If Kobe wants Rondo, would they say no? What if Rondo still wants a max contract?
Rondo still belongs in the NBA, but the right price is far, far below a max contract. The Lakers – and all teams – should proceed with caution.