Rajon Rondo Rumors: Lakers could trade Julius Randle in package
By Josh Hill
The Boston Celtics will more than likely be trading Rajon Rondo in the near future as he has requested a trade and will be on the move before the season gets too far in.
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Now that Kevin Love has been traded, all eyes were naturally going to move east to Rondo and he’s apparently accepted that by requesting a trade. But the question now is where will Rondo get shipped to and what will Boston get back in return. The market seems to be set with the Love trade, as Boston will be asking the moon for their best asset.
As pointed out by NBA scribe Eddie Scarito, the Los Angeles Lakers could package Julius Randle, Steve Nash and/or Jeremy Lin in a package to acquire Rondo from the Celtics.
"Los Angeles could offer some combination of draft picks, Julius Randle, and one or both of Jeremy Lin‘s and Steve Nash‘s expiring deals, plus the Lakers probably could be talked into taking on Gerald Wallace‘s $20MM+ that he’s owed over the next two seasons as well. This wouldn’t be a bad return for Boston, especially if they could rid their books of Wallace’s deal in the process. One major hitch would be convincing Rondo to re-sign with the Lakers, which MacMullan said he wouldn’t be willing to do."
Any move that the Celtics make will likely require the acquisition of a player selected in the 2014 draft and that’s where Randle fits in. Acquiring Lin would be a huge haul as well, since he’s shown flashes in the past and needs the right environment to flourish.
Rondo not being willing to re-sign with the Lakers would be a sticking point but the pieces are there to make a deal happen and the Celtics are likely willing to shelve their historic rivalry with the Lakers to get that kind of a package.
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