Why the Los Angeles Lakers Should Avoid Signing Rajon Rondo
With money to spend and a number of holes to fill, the Los Angeles Lakers will look for free agents who could return the franchise back to respectability.
Rajon Rondo isn't one of those men.
Rondo's decline in production over the last three seasons, combined with his unceremonious exit from the Dallas Mavericks, should be considered huge red flags. Plus, with talented prospects such as Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, continuing to rebuild with young pieces would be in the team's best interest.
The Lakers aren't accustomed to the kind of downward spiral they have experienced over the last few seasons. The club has missed the playoffs just seven times in franchise history, including twice in the last two seasons.
With icon Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career, it is understandable if the potential $22 million in cap space is burning a hole in L.A.'s pocket, although general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters in February he won't let Bryant's possible farewell tour dictate how the team is built.
Still, according to Bleacher Report's own Kevin Ding, even the Lakers are a bit cautious about giving Rondo a substantial payday this offseason:
"So there remains a distinct possibility in today's pace-and-space NBA that the Los Angeles Lakers will be the torchbearers for the old school and sign the pass-first (nay, pass-only) Rondo to a free-agent contract this summer.
But what should be made clear, according to team sources, is that Buss is not the believer he was earlier in the season when it comes to Rondo, and Kupchak is toting enough healthy skepticism that he sees Rondo as value only at a certain low price.
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Even at a discount, signing Rondo would be a risky proposition for The Lake Show. During his eight years in the pros, the 29-year-old has butted heads with both teammates and coaches. Furthermore, he hasn't looked like the Rondo of old since tearing his ACL in January 2013.
The Lakers are a long way from being elite again, and the arrival of Rondo would only stunt the growth of Clarkson, who was the squad's lone bright spot this season. Also, while Rondo's presence would take pressure off of Bryant by giving L.A. another offensive creator on the floor, the team would still have to add more talent around the duo to make the signing work.
Rondo's Decline
At his best, Rondo is one of the game's best facilitators and a triple-double threat whenever he's on the floor. He's led the league in assists twice, notched 32 triple-doubles in his career (including 10 in the playoffs), been named to four All-Star teams and played a huge role in the Boston Celtics' 2008 title run.
However, all of those accolades seem like ancient history these days. Rondo hasn't made an appearance in the NBA's midseason exhibition since the 2012-13 season, and his inability to stay healthy has caused his production to suffer. Rondo has missed portions of the last three seasons with an ACL tear, a broken hand and an orbital fracture in his face.
The chart below shows Rondo's statistical decline since his last All-Star bid:
| Year | Games | FG Percentage | Three-Point | Free-Throw | Points Per Game | Assists Per Game | Rebounds Per Game |
| 2012-13 | 38 | 48.4 | 24.0 | 64.5 | 13.7 | 11.1 | 5.6 |
| 2013-14 | 30 | 40.3 | 28.9 | 62.7 | 11.7 | 9.8 | 5.5 |
| 2014-15 (total) | 68 | 42.6 | 31.4 | 39.7 | 8.9 | 7.9 | 5.5 |
Rondo's jumper, which has always been suspect, has become even less reliable in recent years. He wisely avoided the three-point line this season, taking just 86 treys combined in Boston and Dallas, but only converted 31 percent of his pull-up two-point attempts.
His 65.4 percent shooting around the rim suggests he's at his best when he attacks the basket, but his recent struggles at the charity stripe have made him look like DeAndre Jordan.
This shot chart, courtesy of Vorped.com, paints a better picture of Rondo's shooting struggles.
How bad was Rondo at the line in 2014-15? Only two guards in NBA history who played at least 50 games have nailed less than 40 percent of their free throws in a single season: Rondo (39.7 percent combined with Boston and Dallas) this year and Bob Hansen (36.4 percent with the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls) in 1991-92.
Ironically, '91-92 was the 31-year-old Hansen's last season in the league.
So, how does a player who is a liability at the line and a non-factor behind the arc help a Lakers team that finished 23rd in offensive efficiency as well as 17th in scoring and three-point percentage?
Rondo's defense, once a strong suit, has also taken a dip lately. His defensive rating of 107 with the Mavs was tied for the worst effort of his career, and Dallas posted a net rating of minus-0.5 with him on the court as opposed to plus-2.5 with him off.
That doesn't bode well for a Los Angeles squad that allowed 105.3 points per game, second worst in the league.
Rondo's diminished durability is also a problem, as he hasn't played more than 68 games in a season since 2008-09. There were many factors that led to the Lakers' dismal 2014-15 campaign, and injuries were chief among them. Everyone from Bryant to Randle to Steve Nash went down with various ailments, most for extended periods of time.
| Steve Nash | Nerve irritation in back | Missed entire season |
| Julius Randle | Broken leg | Missed 81 games |
| Xavier Henry | Knee/Achilles surgery | Missed 73 games |
| Kobe Bryant | Torn rotator cuff | Missed 47 games |
| Nick Young | Torn thumb ligament/sprained ankle | Missed 40 games |
| Ronnie Price | Elbow surgery | Missed 39 games |
| Ryan Kelly | Knee surgery/torn hamstring | Missed 30 games |
After that kind of misfortune, why roll the dice on someone with Rondo's recent injury history considering the price he'll cost to sign?
Clarkson's Rise
Jordan Clarkson wasn't a world-beater this year, but his solid rookie campaign was a ray of sunlight during an otherwise gloomy Lakers season. After taking over the starting point guard job in late January, the second-round pick out of Missouri averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 38 games. He also shot 45.8 percent from the field and converted 84 percent of his freebies during that span.
Clarkson's impressive stint as the Lakers floor general was enough to place him seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, according to Basketball-Reference.com. His play also earned kudos from Lakers head coach Byron Scott, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
"The more he gains experience, he will learn the pace of the game, how to slow it down and use his speed when he has to do so," Scott said. "His ceiling is pretty high."
However, that growth would be stunted if Clarkson is forced to sit behind Rondo, even if it's for the short term.
At 6'5" and 185 pounds, Clarkson has great size for the point guard position. While his outside jumper needs some work, as evidenced by his 31.4 percent mark from deep, he has the speed and athleticism to provide a bigger offensive impact down the road than Rondo can in the immediate future.
Bleacher Report's Howard Ruben presents another advantage to keeping Clarkson and passing on Rondo:
"Are Lakers fans so star-struck as to prefer an overpriced, injury-prone, temperamental veteran over the younger, more athletic, highly motivated Clarkson? Who, by the way, will only cost the Lakers $845,000 next season, per Spotrac.
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While the Lakers don't need to pinch pennies, avoiding a big-money mistake by opting to invest in a cheap young prospect has its benefits. When you throw in Randle's return from a broken leg, the possibility of retaining a top-five pick in this draft and the fact that the Lakers possess the Houston Rockets' first-round pick, Los Angeles is better suited to build for the future than it is trying to compete right away with high-priced mercenaries.
Additionally, filling the roster out with up-and-comers who can contribute allows the team to dedicate its financial resources to other areas. With needs at small forward and center, Los Angeles could chase a rising star such as the Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton (restricted free agent) or the Detroit Pistons' Greg Monroe (unrestricted free agent) and still have a team that's competitive without disrupting everything it's already built.
The same can't be said about a possible pursuit of Rondo.
There was a time where a possible marriage between Rajon Rondo and the Los Angeles Lakers seemed like a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, that time is not this summer.
With Rondo on the decline and the Lakers facing an uphill battle to regain elite status in a deep Western Conference, the possible addition of the four-time All-Star is too short-sighted and could ruin the growth of a team with a potentially bright future.
As thrilling as loading up for one last hurrah with Kobe Bryant sounds, it would be in the Lakers' best interest to prepare for life after The Black Mamba.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com/Stats unless otherwise noted.
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