NBA Trade Rumors: Celtics Would Be Insane to Swap Rajon Rondo for Chris Paul

The Boston Celtics are talking about trading Rajon Rondo again, this time for Chris Paul.

I don’t know what is going through GM Danny Ainge’s mind, but that is not the right move to make at this point in time.

The C’s have one last chance to win a title this year with the Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and the timing couldn’t be better with a shortened season that will favor the veterans’ old legs.

Why screw it up to start building for the future? They tried that last year by trading Kendrick Perkins and it blew up in their face.

Another reason why Boston can’t make this move is financial.  Paul is going to be seeking a max-year, max-salary deal after this season while Rondo is still under contract for four years valued at just $46 million.

That is a bargain for one of the top point guards in the NBA and they can use the cap flexibility that Rondo’s contract allows for to bring in more star players around him after Allen and KG come off the books next year.

There is no reason the team needs to send Rondo off and instead should be looking at future replacements for the other aging stars on their roster. Why would they swap one talented young point for another?

Boston instead should be figuring out how to bring in superstars that they can pair with Rajon like Dwight Howard.

Howard would be the centerpiece of the franchise for years to come and the duo would easily be able to recruit some savvy veterans to join them on the promise of deep playoff runs year after year.

Would you rather have Paul and an aging Pierce to build around next season or Rondo and Howard? I think the choice is pretty obvious.

Even if the team can’t land the superstar center from Orlando, they will have enough freedom under the cap to make a run at other talented players that command high salaries.

Paul makes that much harder for them to do and it just doesn’t make sense for the Celtics to swing a deal for him considering the circumstances.