Well, apparently the Celtics will not be building a statue to honor Rajon Rondo any time soon.
Just when we were ready to give the Cs the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” treatment, they finaly pulled the trigger on a deal last night, sending their franchise point guard to the Dallas Mavericks.
The trade breaks down like this:
| Dallas Receives | Boston Receives |
G Rajon Rondo | F Brandon Wright |
| F Dwight Powell | F Jae Crowder |
| G Jameer Nelson | |
| 2016 First Round selection | |
| 016 Second Round selection |
The old adage is “Whoever got the best player, won the trade”. With that level of anaylsis, it would appear that the Mavs ran away with this one. They pick up a 4 time all star, the league leader in assists, a man who’s known for his defensive intensity and breaking down defences off the bounce
More importantly, Rondo has a championship pedigree, having won a ring in 2008, and losing in the finals in 2010.
His length helped protect the back end for Dallas as he currently averages almost 2 blocks per game.
This might be Wright’s chance to start, but young Mr. Zeller will likely have something to say about that.
The downside with Wright is that he will be a UFA this off season, and it would seem that the likelihood of him resigning in Boston is low.
Crowder is essentially a D League guy who hasn’t really proven any plus skills at the pro level.
Jameer Nelson is not the same guy who led the Orlando Magic several years ago. He has lost a step on both sides of the ball, and although he still competes hard, his starting days in the NBA would appear to be over. He will likely battle Pressy for minutes as the primary backup, and could potentially play the role of veteran mentor for young Marcus Smart and the other inexperienced kids in the Celtics backcourt.
The draft picks in this deal are difficult to assess. For one thing, we are looking two drafts away, and secondly, nobody expects the Mavs to produce a lottery pick. It’s unlikely that Boston will received an impact starter with either of those selections.
You have to keep in mind though, as mentioned on The Bench this week, losing teams trying to unload star players who are about to become a UFA – don’t have a ton of leverage.
One could argue that the Mavericks actually overpaid because the other offers that were on the table weren’t as rich.
Dwight Powell out of Toronto Canada has been traded more times in his young season than he has been activated for games. That might be a slight exaggeration, but not much of one.
Celtics analysts will tell you that Rondo has not been nearly as explosive since his knee surgery, and that his break neck speed has dropped off noticeably.
Rondo critics have long pointed at his inability to improve his shooting game and as he speed depreciates, become more 1 dimensional.
Regardless, Rondo is a massive upgrade for the Mavericks, and he’s in a situation he is used to – playing with all stars where he can facilitate and allow them to handle the bulk of the scoring.
Rondo’s speed will likely look a little better when lanes are opened up as teams double up on Dirk.
The biggest question for Dallas: will the improvement to their starting line make up for the hit they just put on their bench?
