NBA Trade Rumors: Why Boston Should Deal Rajon Rondo for Chris Paul

Acquiring Chris Paul for Rajon Rondo would make the Boston Celtics the best team in the NBA and give the aging corps of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen one final shot at an NBA championship.

Sports Illustrated is reporting that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has talked to the New Orleans Hornets about a swap of All-Star point guards, but the Hornets do not seem willing to accept this trade.

Ainge probably needs to find a third team to make the deal work, but the Hornets, who would be foolish to allow Paul to hit free agency next year, must trade him for some talent and not suffer the same fate as the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer when they got no players in return for LeBron James.

Rondo is a fabulous player who is the best defensive guard in basketball. He also has elite playmaking skills, and his basketball IQ is incredibly high.

The only way the Celtics pull the trigger on a trade for Paul is if he agrees to sign an extension. The New York Knicks appear to be his first choice, but with large contracts for Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, the Knicks do not have much salary cap space.

Paul would be smart to sign an extension with the Celtics, because after this season the team only has Rondo, Paul Pierce and young point guard Avery Bradley under contract.

The Celtics could realistically sign Paul to an extension then go after Dwight Howard in free agency. Having Pierce and Paul would be very enticing for Howard. Pierce is not a No. 1 guy anymore, but with Paul and Howard, he could be a very effective player for the remaining three years on his current deal.

Ainge has not been afraid to make a bold move as GM of the Celtics. He traded popular forward Antoine Walker several years ago with no stars coming back to Boston in return. He traded for Ray Allen at the 2007 NBA Draft, then a few months later traded a ton of young talent for Kevin Garnett.

Last season, in perhaps the boldest move of all, he traded center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. This trade was highly criticized at the time and still is in the Boston media.

With Paul, the Celtics would become the best team in the NBA—and better than their Eastern Conference rivals Miami Heat.

Boston would also be taking away the top point guard in basketball from a possible move to East contenders New York and Orlando, as well as the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers.

Ainge must make a trade for Paul involving Rondo, because it will make the Celtics NBA Finals contenders this season and into the future.

Can you imagine Celtics-Heat playoff games with Paul in Boston? I can't, but it will be a huge win for basketball if it happens.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.