Baxter Holmes of ESPN passed along news of a very intriguing breakfast:
Had Holmes simply shared the picture without much commentary, it probably wouldn’t have been a big deal, but he speculated about a trade. That is buzz-word territory because Rondo has been in trade rumors all season.
Howard Beck of Bleacher Report shared some earlier in the year:
“Rival executives say that Ainge has been firm in his stance that Rondo will not be dealt. But many of those same executives believe that Ainge has to trade Rondo, to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.”
There are a number of different angles to the Rondo-Lakers trade speculation, and they are all intriguing.
Let’s take a look at Holmes’ proposed swap from Boston’s side. The acquisition of two first-round picks and Steve Nash’s expiring contract makes some sense. Boston is not going to win the title or even contend in the watered-down Eastern Conference this season or probably next season without a drastic roster change.
Adding multiple first-round picks and then freeing up some cap space when Nash’s expiring contract comes off the books would accelerate the rebuilding process.
The Celtics already have Marcus Smart, Jared Sullinger, James Young, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley, who are all under 25 years old and could formulate a fairly solid core moving forward. There are big guys, point guards and wing players on that list, and the potential first-rounder or two that Boston would get in a swap with the Lakers would provide more young depth.
There is also the individual player storyline with this proposed trade.
