NBA Trade Rumors: Celtics Would Be Foolish to Swap Rajon Rondo for Pau Gasol

The Celtics would be foolish to consider trading Rajon Rondo for an older player. If they moved him to the Lakers for Pau Gasol, it would be beyond foolish. 

Yet here we are, and through a few different reports, talks of a Rondo-for-Gasol move don't seem too ridiculous. 

It starts with an interview from Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, done on the team's website with general manager Mitch Kupchack. Trudell quoted Kupchack saying, "Well, if there were a way for us to get a 25-year-old, All-Star, ball-handling guard, we'd love to do it."

According to Eric Pincus of HOOPSWORLD, the only man who fits that description is Rondo. Okay, that doesn't seem too juicy on its own, but Pincus also mentioned something that breathes some life into this rumor. 

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Additionally, sources have told HOOSPWORLD that the Boston Celtics do have interest in Gasol for their All-Star point guard.

The Celtics have the potential for sizable cap room this summer but there is no true sense that Dwight Howard or Deron Williams would be within their reach.

The list of options after the top two stars is not especially impressive.  The Celtics have almost no one inside to play next to Kevin Garnett, who is in the last year of his contract.

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If the Celtics even consider making this trade, then anyone who has anything to do with making decisions with this franchise needs to have his head examined. 

Rondo needs to be the player this franchise builds around. Ray Allen is 36, Paul Pierce is 34 and Kevin Garnett is 35. Rondo will be 26 in two weeks. 

He is the only player presently on the roster that this team can build around long-term. Gasol is a nice player, but he's not a superstar. On top of that, he's 31. He might have a little more left in his tank than Allen, Piece and Garnett, but he's certainly not a player to build a championship team around. 

Yet if the Celtics are going to get Gasol, they will have to unload Rondo. Outside of Rondo, this isn't a team that has the players that would be needed to acquire a player like Gasol. That would just be an abysmal move. 

Rondo has to be the player this team builds around going forward. He is too young and does too many things well for them to move. When the Big Three are no longer relevant, Rondo will be the player that attracts future big-name free agents and trade targets. Players will want to come in and play with him because they know that he can spearhead a championship. 

Gasol has won two championships, but he did not have the leadership ability that Rondo, a starting point guard, has had while in Boston. On top of that, the age difference of more than five years is too great to ignore. 

There is no way that the Celtics can make this trade add up. Rondo needs to be a part of this team's future. If Rondo isn't there, the future is going to look a lot like the post-Bird, pre-Big Three past. 

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