Lakers Rumors: Gossip and Fallout from Missing out on Rajon Rondo

An absolute blockbuster deal that sent point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks swept the nation Thursday evening. The Los Angeles Lakers were known to be a very interested party in the guard, but they were unable to acquire his services—for this season, anyway.

For now, the Lakers will see the guard in this uniform, via the Mavericks' official Twitter account:



So, here's what many Lakers fans are asking following the trade: How close was Los Angeles to getting a deal done with the Boston Celtics? What were the Lakers offering? Is there any chance of bringing him aboard in the future?

Those are all legitimate inquiries, and based on recent rumors circulating around the Web, we have our answers.

The Lakers proposed two separate trade offers to Boston for Rondo; however, they didn't exactly want to give up enough to secure the guard for the 2014-15 season. Sam Amick of USA Today penned the first Los Angles offer to the Celtics:

The Lakers inquired about a deal Thursday that would send forward Jordan Hill and a first-round pick to the Celtics for Rondo and forward Jeff Green, but the Celtics declined that offer, a person familiar with the details told USA Today Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the private nature of trade talks.

That doesn't seem like a terrible deal for either side. After all, Green has been a frequent topic of trade discussions this season, and Los Angeles could certainly use his shooting ability on the wing. Meanwhile, Hill has been one of the few bright spots for the Lakers this season, averaging 12.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the floor.

A first-round pick for Rondo keeps things even, right? Nope. In fact, the pick Los Angeles was offering is what held up the deal, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:

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