NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: Rajon Rondo Demands Trade?
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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But maybe the relationship isn’t as strong as the Celtics indicate or Rondo is already sick of rebuilding. During a behind-the-scenes clip of ESPN’s Around the Horn, which the show posted Wednesday on YouTube, the great Jackie MacMullan suggested Rondo has already made it clear he will not stay after his contract expires next summer.
When Frank Isola raised the topic of trading Rondo, MacMullan replied, “Oh, I hope so. Just get it done. And it will happen because he’s told them he wants out. And no one believes me, but that’s the truth.”
Rondo, age 28, is a one-time champion and four-time All-Star. When healthy, the eight-year veteran is one of the most dynamic points guards in the NBA. At this stage in his career, it is understandable that Rondo might prefer a trade to a more competitive team, rather than waiting for the Celtics to develop into a contender over several seasons.
However, the Celtics will likely not move Rondo unless they are blown away by an offer from another team. But this is unlikely to happen considering the amount of quality points guards in today’s NBA, the fact that he will soon be an unrestricted free agent and the personality issues that come with Rondo.
Last season, in 30 games, Rondo averaged 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.3 steals. Rondo missed significant time last season as he recovered from an ACL tear he suffered in January of 2013. Rondo averaged 33.3 minutes per game, and looked like the same nightly triple-double threat he was prior to the injury.
The Houston Rockets have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Sacramento Kings guard Jason Terry, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The Houston Rockets have put together a deal to acquire veteran guard Jason Terry from the Sacramento Kings.
Over his 15-year career, Terry has been one of the best clutch shooters in the NBA. In 2010-11, Terry was a major contributor for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals against the Miami HEAT. For the series, Terry averaged 18 points, two rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and shot 39.3 percent from three-point range. However, in the last two seasons, Terry’s stats and overall production have severely dipped as his minutes per game were heavily reduced with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.
In Houston, Terry will have the chance to reestablish himself coming off the bench to backup Patrick Beverley and James Harden. With Jeremy Lin traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston had a void in its back-court unit off the bench, which Terry should help shore up. Most importantly, Terry brings to Houston significant postseason experience and another clutch shooter to take big shots in the closing moments of games.
Free-agent forward Hedo Turkoglu is nearing agreement on a one-year, $1.4 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports reported on Sunday that the Los Angeles Clippers are finalizing a deal to bring back forward Hedo Turkoglu for another season.
Clippers team president and head coach Doc Rivers signed Turkoglu last season to add shooting and ball-handling from the forward position. Turkoglu, age 35, suffered a serious back injury in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors last season, which kept him out for the rest of the postseason.
Last season, in 10.3 minutes per game, Turkoglu averaged three points and 2.3 assists, and shot 44 percent from the three-point line. Turkoglu is no longer the versatile, play-making forward that he was years ago, but is still able to knock down the long-ball and handle the ball in limited circumstances.
The Clippers are able to acquire Turkoglu after trading small forward Jared Dudley to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week in order to create financial flexibility. The Clippers are also being linked to other free agents, including Ray Allen, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ekpe Udoh.
