NBA Trade Rumors: Could Rajon Rondo End Up in Los Angeles?

There have been rumors circulating recently that Boston Celtics star point guard Rajon Rondo could be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Both the Lakers and the Celtics have problems that could be solved should they choose to make this trade. To put it simply, the Lakers need a point guard and the Celtics need a big man.

Here's a possible trade that would work out for both teams: Rondo along with Jermaine O'Neal's expiring contract for Pau Gasol.

Boston is 30th in the league in rebounding (38.8 per). Los Angeles is 16th in assists per game (20.8).

Rondo is averaging almost ten assists per contest this season, twice as many as Kobe Bryant, who leads the Lakers in assists.

Gasol is averaging 10.6 rebounds per game. But more importantly, he's averaging three offensive rebounds a game. The Celtics only pull down eight offensive boards per game as a team, dead last in the NBA.

The Celtics' lack of rebounding has been a huge issue for the team this season. Well not just this season; since Kendrick Perkins left. 

People forget how good Gasol really is. He's one of the most skilled big men in the league in all aspects of the game. Low-post passing, low-post scoring, jump shot, defense, etc. You name it, Gasol can do it.

Since Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics haven't been able to protect the paint and keep their opponents from getting to the rim. That was one of the staples of the team's success the last few seasons.

But now that Perkins is gone, Kevin Garnett, O'Neal and Chris Wilcox aren't getting the job done.

Gasol fixes the holes in the Celtics game. He cleans up the glass and is capable of protecting the rim, two huge weaknesses on this Celtics team.

The Lakers could make their point guard problem disappear, but the situation could be a little rockier at the Staples Center. The Rondo-Kobe relationship could be a bit awkward at first.

Rondo takes almost 12 shots per game. Will the shots decrease should Rondo come to LA? Possibly.

It can be nerve-wracking for a relatively young point guard to join a team halfway through a season. Coming onto a team led by Kobe Bryant is absolutely intimidating.

This means that Rondo could be a bit sheepish when it comes to shooting the ball, deferring to Kobe more often than not.

Does Kobe trust Rondo to shoot? Does Rondo trust himself to shoot? Will Kobe have a problem with Rondo passing up open mid-range jump shots?

These are all questions that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will have to answer.

Rondo may not be a good fit for in LA for two reasons: First, the Lakers can't shoot. They're 24th in the league in three-point shooting and Rondo certainly won't help that.

Secondly, they can't run. They don't have a fast break offense at all. Rondo may have to be the one-man fast break that he is in Boston, but that may not fly with Kobe.

The trio of Rondo, Kobe and Andrew Bynum could make for a crowded front court. 

While the trade would work out better for the Celtics on the court, it would work better for the Lakers financially.

Gasol is set to make about $19 million this year and slightly more the next two. Rondo's salary is $10 million this season and increases by $1 million every year until his contract ends in 2015. 

The trade gives the Lakers an opportunity to dump a huge portion of their payroll while saving $16 million the next two seasons due to the difference in the salary of the two players.

The trade deadline is March 15th, so Kupchack and Danny Ainge have some time to work this possible trade out.

Look to see what happens with this as the most exciting part about this trade is that both teams could crash and burn just as easily as they could up their status to a serious contender.