NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Chatter Surrounding Rajon Rondo and More

The first few weeks of the 2013 NBA offseason has been highlighted by a number of big-time trades, but that doesn’t mean that everything will remain quiet from here on out.

On the contrary, it seems that there are even more deals in the oven and a handful of those could be pushed through in the coming weeks.

Let’s take a look at the latest buzz on the various trade talk happening throughout the league in Tuesday’s rumor roundup.

Pistons Eyeing Rondo

The Detroit Pistons are looking to contend again soon, as evidenced by the marquee signing of Josh Smith this summer.

One of the ways they could jump-start that ascension back to the top of the Eastern Conference ranks is to acquire superstar Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics.

According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, Detroit president Joe Dumars is interested in the mercurial point guard but can’t seem to find a suitable package of talent and draft picks to offer his Boston counterpart, Danny Ainge.

Washburn notes that the C’s would likely ask for up-and-coming center Andre Drummond, who had a solid rookie year before getting injured in 2012-13.

Given that the Pistons would just like to jettison guard Brandon Knight and an expiring contract from the Motor City in exchange for Rondo, it’s hard to see how the two sides could come to terms.

Unless Detroit can find a way to acquire a first-round pick or two in the near future, this potential transaction may never get off the ground.

Spurs Have Chance to Sign-and-Trade

Over the past four seasons, the San Antonio Spurs and DeJuan Blair have had a tenuous relationship at best.

Now that the big man has hit free agency, it seems that the organization isn’t bending over backwards to help him catch on with a new team.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the Washington Wizards have inquired about a possible sign-and-trade for Blair’s services, but have yet to work out an arrangement to bring in the former second-round selection.

Wojnarowski noted that the Spurs have expressed a willingness to help Blair, but may not be intrigued by any of the Wizards’ assets. If the two parties don’t reach an agreement, the best that Washington can offer Blair is the veteran’s minimum.

The 6’7” forward appeared in just 61 games last season and averaged just 14 minutes per contest. Blair has been phased out of coach Gregg Popovich’s rotation and a change of scenery would do him good.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see what happens if the Wizards don’t increase their offer for the former Pittsburgh star.

Celtics Dumping Veterans

The Celtics shipped superstars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2013 NBA draft, receiving a handful of promising players, draft picks and expiring contracts in return.

Now the team is looking to further increase its stockpile of assets by dumping the contracts of Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace—two of the veteran talents it received in the blockbuster deal.

According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the C’s are exploring their options to trade away Humphries’ one-year, $12 million and Wallace’s three-year, $30-plus million contracts.

It may be easier to find a taker for Humphries’ expiring deal, but Wallace has one of the worst contracts in the league and the Celtics may be saddled with it for some time.

This is a situation to monitor over the rest of the summer, as Ainge’s brilliance will be tested and proven if he can find a way to dump Wallace prior to the 2013-14 tip.