NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Five Teams After Rajon Rondo
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated27 Oct 2023
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The Boston Celtics, after years of flirting with potential Rajon Rondo deals, are in substantive discussions on a trade that would send Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Celtics and Mavericks have been discussing a swap that would furnish Boston with multiple draft picks — including at least one future first-rounder — as well as blossoming Mavericks center Brandan Wright and other players needed to make the salary-cap math work.
Sources say the Celtics also have been talking to teams such as the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets about potential Rondo deals, but that the most advanced discussions have been with Dallas.
If the Dallas Mavericks were able to pull off a deal for Rondo, it would undoubtedly make them a full-fledge contender in the Western Conference with as good of a chance as anyone to advance to the NBA Finals. They’ve been after an elite point guard since they lost Jason Kidd. They made a strong run at Deron Williams before he re-signed with the Brooklyn Nets and have yet to find their long-term solution in the meantime. Jose Calderon did a solid job in the position last season, but they traded him this offseason to the New York Knicks and currently only have short-term pieces in place in Raymond Felton and Jameer Nelson.
It’s going to be interesting to see if any other teams come out of the woodwork or if the other four teams involved step up their offers in order to prevent the Mavericks from sealing the deal.
The Celtics and Rondo have publicly stated that they are interested in working out a long-term pact, but given the team’s struggles this season and the price that Rondo is going to command this offseason, it looks like the end is finally near. This could drag out to the trade deadline, but don’t expect Rondo to be a Celtic past then.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have put veteran swingman Corey Brewer back on the trading block, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Timberwolves, beset with injuries and mired at the foot of the Western Conference with a record of 5-19, are again engaging contending teams in trade discussions for Brewer after making him available in mid-November and then abruptly pulling him off the market.
The Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, sources said, remain the most interested suitors for Brewer, but have also been joined by the Los Angeles Clippers.
This has always seemed like an inevitable move as the Timberwolves look poised to start rebuilding (again). Brewer is in demand and because contending teams are in pursuit, the Timberwolves should be able to extract a decent asset in return since they’re in win-now mode and strong perimeter defenders like Brewer aren’t easy to acquire at this point of the season.
Once Brewer is moved, expect more Timberwolves veterans to be on the move as well. Chase Budinger was shopped earlier in the year, and the Timberwolves probably wouldn’t mind parting ways with Thaddeus Young, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic as well. The latter two are on long-term deals and could be a little bit more difficult to move, but it won’t be due to a lack of effort.
The Pistons wanted point guard Jeff Teague and sharpshooter Kyle Korver in return for Monroe, and the Hawks balked — perhaps with knowing Monroe could walk to them the summer of 2015, right into their cap space without having to part with valuable assets.
Given their success this season, it’s hard to imagine that the Hawks would revisit this idea, even if the Pistons lowered their asking price. Asking for Teague was a non-starter as well. His development has been key in the Hawks’ emergence as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this year. He’d be extremely difficult to replace, whereas Monroe would be more of a luxury for them to have with Paul Millsap and Al Horford on the roster already.
Despite the public relations campaign put on by Monroe and his camp, the odds still seem to be in favor of him being traded before the deadline. It’s virtually impossible to envision a scenario in which the Pistons offer what it takes to keep him and they would be foolish to miss out on acquiring some kind of asset in return for him before he likely walks to the highest bidder this offseason.
