NBA Trade Rumors: Why the Boston Celtics Need to Trade Rajon Rondo

I’m not willing to say it’s over. I may be insane, but I believe there’s still a shot at one last title run.

All the recent talk surrounding the Boston Celtics is that they should throw in the towel. They need to acknowledge that the Big three of Allen, Pierce, and Garnett had a nice run but it’s now time to call it quits.

If the Celtics were to blow things up, what would happen next?

The team would most likely try to move Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to a playoff contender and receive draft picks or young unproven players in return. As is usually the case, these draft picks and young pieces would become mediocre NBA players who won’t contribute a whole lot.

Boston will have plenty of cap space this offseason to go after marquee free agents. Unfortunately for the Celtics, the two big name superstar free agents, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, have little interest in joining the team for their own reasons.

The Celtics will not go after Williams because they will still have Rondo and will not be in the market for a franchise point guard.

Howard will have little interest in joining Boston due to his desire to play in a big market and the lack of talent the Celtics will have on their roster next season.  

What Celtics fans are probably in store for is another rebuilding process. With only Rondo and an aging Paul Pierce left to lead the team, the road to another title will be a long one.  

Instead of trading away some of their best players to jump start their rebuilding process, why doesn’t the team get creative and make one last run at a title?

Whether they keep the team as currently constituted or blow things up, the Celtics will have loads of cap space next season as Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Jermaine O’Neal are all in the last year of their contracts.

Boston’s not going to have a more competitive roster than they have now for at least another few seasons, so why not try and make one more major move?

What the Celtics need if they want to make one final title run is depth. More specifically, they need depth in their front court especially with the team’s recent rebounding difficulties.

Before I make my next statement, I need to preface it by saying I love the way Rajon Rondo has been played so far this year. I had my doubts about Rondo’s ability to lead the team, but after the way he’s played this season, I now have complete trust in his abilities. He plays with unmatched passion and hustle and his ability to make his teammates better is second to none.

Ok, all you Rondo supporters out there take a deep breath.

I believe the best move out there, after doing a fair amount of research, is to trade Rondo.

He’s the only major piece the team has and he’s the only player that the team could trade while still having a shot to improve their title chances.

The trade that I think could really work is if the Celtics trade Rondo and Jermaine O’Neal’s expiring contract to Phoenix for Steve Nash and Marcin Gortat.

I realize that Rondo is a better player than Nash at this stage of Nash’s career, but the opportunity to get Nash and one of the league’s best centers (Gortat) is tough to pass on.  

Over his time in Phoenix, Gortat has proved to be a top five NBA center and would help the Celtics' rebounding and interior scoring.

Nash is still a very good player as well who is currently third in the NBA in field goal percentage and leads the entire league in assists.

The one major upgrade you get with Steve Nash is his shooting ability. Rondo, although he is improving, still has a very inconsistent jump shot and his free throw shooting is well below average.  

The Suns would most likely buy out the remainder of Grant Hill’s contract and let him join his buddy Nash in Boston, adding extra depth to the team.

From Phoenix’s perspective, why wouldn’t you make this deal? Nash is a free agent at the end of the year anyway and their team has no shot at competing in the Western Conference this season.

Why not start their rebuilding process with a young, talented point guard who makes those around him better? Rondo is by far the best player Phoenix would be able to receive in exchange for Nash.

The Boston Celtics are going to struggle for a while after this season regardless of what moves they do or don’t make. If you’re the Celtics organization, why don’t you try and go for one last title with the Big Three?