Earlier this month, Kevin Love visited the city of Boston and spurred rumors of a possible trade. The Celtics are keeping their options open as we head into the draft and may be going the other way by looking to deal Rajon Rondo to acquire another lottery pick.
According to Mark Heisler of Forbes, Danny Ainge and the Celtics are targetting Scramento’s eighth overall pick:
Way I hear it (cont.): #Celtics want Sac's No. 8 for Rondo. If they get it, Ainge takes Payton/Smart at No. 6.
https://t.co/SSBM97YDzQ
— Mark Heisler (@MarkHeisler) June 26, 2014
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If this rumored deal goes through, the Celtics would take either Elfrid Payton or Marcus Smart as their replacement for Rondo at point guard with the sixth overall pick, then still be able to add another lottery selection at the number eight spot.
Still, the veracity of the rumor was questioned by a source who told the Sporting Newshttps://dimemag.com/2014/06/report-celtics-will-trade-rajon-rondo-can-land-eighth-pick/, “I think it is the usual BS.”
The Celtics also own the 17th pick which they acquired from Brooklyn in the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade, so they would be in a position to potentially land three impact rookies from this draft.
The move makes sense for Boston if they want to continue a full rebuild, rather than retool with Kevin Love and get right back in the playoff race. Keep in mind, the Celtics own the Nets’ first round pick in 2016 and 2018, and have the right to swap first round picks with them in 2017.
Depending on if Brooklyn’s aging roster falls out of the playoff race by then — which is a very likely scenario — that’s a lot of valuable assets for Ainge and the Celtics moving forward.
For Sacramento, this trade would likely signal the end of the Isaiah Thomas era. The Kings extended a qualifying offer this week to their restricted free agent point guard, but the acquisition of Rondo would move Thomas out of the starting lineup. From a financial standpoint, it wouldn’t make sense to keep both.
The Kings have been looking to find a third player to pair with Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins. Earlier this week, they had discussions with the Pistons regarding Josh Smith. Sacramento appears poised to acquire another player to help them win now.
Just hours from the draft, general managers are busy on the phone talking trade scenarios, so we should all be cautious about how serious a potential trade like this might actually be. But, when you think about it from both sides, this deal would make sense for Boston and Sacramento; although, we’re hoping Zeke lands a starting spot in the NBA, something he’s earned by beating out a host of competing guards over the last three seasons.
What do you think?
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