Rajon Rondo: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation Surrounding Kings PG
Point guard Rajon Rondo is in the midst of a resurgent season with the Sacramento Kings and will be one of the more intriguing free agents in the summer of 2016.
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Rondo Playing His Way to Big Contract This Offseason
Thursday, Dec. 3
Sean Deveney of Sporting News spoke to several NBA executives, and one theme was pretty clear—Rondo is currently playing his way to a max contract, or something very close to a max contract, this season, according to one Eastern Conference general manager:
"I don’t know whether he will quite get the maximum, mostly because we don’t know what the max is going to be. But there is going to be a lot of money on the market and only a handful of players who you would really say are max guys. If Rajon were to keep playing the way he’s been playing, if he is not getting the max next year, it’ll be close.
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He wasn't alone in that opinion. Another executive told Deveney, "It would not surprise me at all if he winds up with a max deal next summer," though at something closer to three years rather than five.
And Rondo's former head coach in Dallas, Rick Carlisle—whom he notoriously clashed with—admitted to reporters this week, “He’s a max player next year. Someone’s going to have to back up the truck to get him.”
Rondo is an interesting case. He has thrived in Sacramento's offense, averaging 12.9 points, 10.7 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game. While he has a history of butting heads with coaches, he hasn't been negatively involved in the conflict between DeMarcus Cousins and coach George Karl and has seemingly been a model citizen for the team.
Signing Rondo would be a gamble for interested teams, however. Pairing him with the right coach and the right scheme—he thrives when he is allowed to be the primary ball-handler and can penetrate and find open teammates—will be vital for an organization willing to splash big cash to land him. His time with the Mavericks was disastrous and should be a reminder for teams that Rondo's signing would come with risk.
This season, however, Rondo has reminded everyone of how effective he can be at the point guard position in the right situation. The rest of the league has certainly taken notice.
