Rajon Rondo Trade Rumors: Will Chris Paul Block a Potential Trade?

Reports are coming out that the Boston Celtics would like to acquire Chris Paul and are willing to send their current All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo in exchange for him. However, the problem is that a straight up trade is not something that the New Orleans Hornets are interested in.

Therefore, the Boston Celtics are going to need to involve a third team if they are going to even make a trade that New Orleans will agree to. That's not the only problem, either. Compounding issues is whether Chris Paul would agree to a potential trade. 

With the Boston Celtics, you are talking about an aging roster, if not a straight out aged roster. While they are presently contenders, too, they are also a team with a lot of expiring contracts. If there were a trade involving Rondo, the only Celtics presently on the roster under contract next year would be Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley. 

In essence, he would be a one-season player. Chris Paul isn't going to re-sign with a dismantled Celtic team, even if it is the Boston Celtics. The only way that Paul goes to Boston and agrees to extend there is if Boston somehow works out a miraculous three-team trade that involves securing a future contender. 

It's hard to conceive of Boston agreeing to a trade where Paul doesn't agree to extend and it's hard to see Paul agreeing to extend with the Celtics if they don't have a future team. That being said, if the Celtics are working another deal that would bring in Dwight Howard, it's possible the team could pull off the biggest coup of the offseason.  

Whatever happens, this tells us one sure thing. The fact that Rondo is on the table this early—and rejected—means that the price on both Howard and Paul is going to be considerably higher than a lot of people have been hoping. Neither is going to be bought on the cheap or with a veteran player past his prime.