Rajon Rondo, Houston Rockets rumors have ‘no substance’
By Jake Misener
According to a report passed along by NESN, the latest rumors that have the Houston Rockets in pursuit of Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondon are just that – rumor.
"Speculation on Monday that the Houston Rockets are interested in trading for Rondo has “no substance,” multiple sources told the Boston Herald. The Celtics have engaged in no trade-related communication with the Rockets, according to the report."
Houston had a rough week or so of late, missing out on both Chandler Parsons and Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh, who, despite reportedly being offered a nine-figure contract by the Rockets, opted to return to Miami after LeBron James’ departure. Boston, which has remained insistent on receiving top-level talent for the point guard, is in a favorable position moving forward.
The era of the ‘Big Three’ – Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen – is over in Boston. That being said, Rondo gives Danny Ainge several options including building around the playmaker or dealing him to build a stronger foundation for the next generation of title-contending Boston teams. Houston, at least at this point in time, isn’t considered to be a viable trade partner, according to the report.
"As it pertains to the Rockets, though, there isn’t a whole lot there. Houston is flush with financial flexibility, but it has very little in the way of attractive trade assets. To make matters worse for Houston, the Dallas Mavericks reportedly rejected the Rockets’ request to turn Chandler Parsons’ free-agent signing into a sign-and-trade, which would have netted Houston a valuable trade exception."
It’s not to say that Rondo won’t get traded. Before the season starts, we’ll see plenty more rumors surrounding the Celtics’ star player. But for the time being, rumors are just rumors and Houston doesn’t appear any closer to landing top talent that it covets than in weeks’ past.