Report: Rajon Rondo opting out of Lakers contract

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-rajon-rondo-opting-lakers-033511001.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=1_02


Report: Rajon Rondo opting out of Lakers contract


Dan Feldman

Wed, October 14, 2020, 8:35 PM PDT





The Lakers re-signing Rajon Rondo – even to just a minimum-salary contract – last offseason drew skepticism. He was such a terrible fit with LeBron James. And the Lakers gave Rondo a two-year deal – with a player option!

But Rondo, 12 years after he won with the Celtics, proved he could still help a championship team. He improved his on-court chemistry with LeBron. And Rondo especially stepped up in the title-clinching Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Now, it’s time to get paid.

Chris Sheridan of BasketballNews.com:

Rajon Rondo will opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers to become an unrestricted free agent, BasketballNews.com learned on Thursday.

Rondo’s player option is worth $2,692,991 next season. Though that’s the minimum, he’s taking a slight risk by opting out.

He was set to earn the minimum for the second year of a contract – 5% higher than the first-year minimum. Now, his minimum for next season will be the first-year minimum.

That was $2,564,753 this season. If the salary cap stays the same, that will presumably remain the first-year minimum salary with a player of Rondo’s experience level (10-plus seasons).

The salary cap could also drop due to coronavirus and the economic fallout. Presumably, minimum salaries would also decline by a commensurate amount.

Of course, Rondo isn’t necessarily in line for another minimum contract. Sometimes, players get pigeonholed as minimum guys. But the Lakers paid Rondo $9 million just two seasons ago.

Here’s guessing the Lakers, who hold his Early Bird Rights and have little salary-cap flexibility otherwise, reward Rondo with a raise over his player-option salary. But that’s far from guaranteed. By opting out, Rondo opens plenty of possibilities.


Bob
MY NOTE:  It would fit Rondo's quirky personality, and goals, to resign with the Celtics.  As it is he is the 1st player to win Championships with both the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers (Clyde Lovellette won two with the Celtics and with the Minneapolis Lakers), it would tickle him pink, I think, for him to be the first to ever win one with one team, then another with the other team, and then go back to the first team and win a 3rd.  Whether we should sign him, or if Danny and Brad would want him, is another.  He'll be 35 in February.  He does what he does very well, and it doesn't require great athleticism.  His strength has always been his courtvision and passing, not running fast breaks.  35 is pretty old for a point guard but, as I have said, I am done with youth, especially point guards, who need years to learn and hone their craft at the NBA level.


.

I’d take him back in a second. My eye test tells me he was significantly better than Kemba during the whole playoff run, he may miss a few regular season games, but big game Rondo is still a unique force. Manage his minutes and let him compete, see the way he was shutting down Harden and how buff he is now? And he can hit 3’s now. A coach on the floor, exactly the type of veteran leadership that we need.

bobh,

I was thinking the exact same thing with him coming back to Boston and how that would fit with him. Looks like a no-brainer. But we know Danny...

db

You know my viewpoint. Sign Rondo.

I predict the Lakers will keep him. I think a 2 year deal for around $12 million would get his signature.

Brad does not want Rondo on this team because their basketball philosophies are in conflict with one another. The difference between Rajon and Brad, one is a player/coach and the other is just a coach. One has proven credentials at the highest level and the other one is still trying to figure it out.

We must understand that Rondo did not want to be traded to the Mavs. He was told this is your team now and poker face Danny traded him anyways.

It would help Brad's coaching if Rondo were on the team. Is Danny a big enough man to recognize that?

Rondo is a hot head, it’s good and bad, the team needs a Rondo. Brad isn’t one of these coaches like Bellichek, that can adapt a system to a fit a players strength. He’s the opposite.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Rondo is a hot head, it’s good and bad, the team needs a Rondo. Brad isn’t one of these coaches like Bellichek, that can adapt a system to a fit a players strength. He’s the opposite.

Cow,

I don't understand your last statement. One of Brad's strengths is that he improves players. IT, Turner, Rozier, it's quite a list when you add them up and they all did well because Brad figured out how to get the most out of them.


Bob


.

I am not sure Rondo is a good fit for Boston.
Boston's best two players are only 22 and 23 years old.
I think Rondo is best suited playing with a veteran who has won and who has earned Rondo's respect.
Things didn't go great for Rondo in Dallas, Sacramento and Chicago.
Rondo is a very good fit for a veteran team who won't need much from him in the regular season, but will have confidence in him during the playoffs.

tj - spoken like a true Lakers fan.

Rondo could add a lot to the Celts in their quest to win the title away from LeBron, but LA will probably resign Rajon anyways, so it is a moot point.

BIG pass for me

why does everyone want to bring back OLD players here?

he's a LAKER as long as LeBron wants him, after that it'll be back to one and done minimum deals where we wears out his welcome or retirement.

worcester wrote:tj - spoken like a true Lakers fan.

Rondo could add a lot to the Celts in their quest to win the title away from LeBron, but LA will probably resign Rajon anyways, so it is a moot point.

Rondo can be a negative on younger players.
You don't want him as your #1 leader in my opinion.
The Lakers can't resign Rondo to anything more than the veterans minimum if he opts out, unless the Lakers use part of their mid-level exception to sign him.
I doubt the Lakers want to do that and probably would have been happier if he picked up his option.
Rondo was great when KD was the team leader.
Rondo was great when Lebron was the team leader.
Things were very different in Rondo's other stops.

AMEN to that tj!

Lebron keeps Rondo in check. Everywhere else he's a head case. Flat earth Irving with LESS talent and OLDER.

please no!!

Rondo was great in Sacto, and he was VERY positive team leader in Chicago. He would be a positive force for the celts coming off the bench and in the locker room.

So little gratitude for a player who helped both Boston and LA win titles. Rondo is acknowledged by many to be one of the best minds in the NBA. He will have a good post playing career as a coach or as a Connect Four champion.

worcester wrote:Rondo was great in Sacto, and he was  VERY positive team leader in Chicago. He would be a positive force for the celts coming off the bench and in the locker room.

Things didn't work out at all for Rondo in Sacramento.


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/16185384/rajon-rondo-tension-filled-sacramento-kings-never-jelled-team


Rajon Rondo details Kings' woes, sends thoughts to Orlando
play
Jun 13, 2016
ESPN.com news services

Rajon Rondo said Monday on ESPN's The Jump that the Kings never jelled as a team last season, and the tension between DeMarcus Cousins and the coaching staff was unlike anything he has experienced in his NBA career.

The 30-year-old point guard, who will be a free agent this offseason, said the Kings "didn't sacrifice enough for one another" in 2015-16.

"There were too many distractions on and off the court. The organization as a whole, I don't think was together completely. I think as a team you have to want the best for the next man beside you, and that wasn't the case with the Sacramento Kings," he said.

"Too much tension. I've never witnessed or experienced a thing like that in my 10-year career."
Rajon Rondo, on the tension between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl
Of Cousins' relationship with former Kings coach George Karl and his staff, Rondo said there was "a lot of tension at first."

"Too much tension. I've never witnessed or experienced a thing like that in my 10-year career," he said.

Despite that, Rondo said he tried to keep the team together by organizing dinners and getting his teammates in the gym. The Kings fired Karl after the season and later named Dave Joerger their new head coach.

Rondo called Cousins "the best big in the league" and said the 25-year-old center has "become like a little brother to me." But Rondo also said Cousins has room to improve.

"He's one of the guys that's very selfless. He has to find other ways to get it done. He's going to continue to grow and learn. I was just glad I was able to be in his life and have a little bit of influence and help him a little bit this year," said Rondo.

Rondo said he would "love to continue to play with" Cousins, but for that to happen, he and the Kings need to "come together and figure out if we can work, but if not, I'm always in, I'm open. I'm open this summer and I look forward to having a great career."

As for his free-agent options this summer, Rondo said, "I want to see myself in a situation where guys want to grow, guys want to get better. I don't want to be the hardest-working guy in the gym."

Asked if he felt that way with the Kings, he said, "at times I did."

Rondo said he wants his next landing spot to feature "guys that want to work and win" and are "willing to sacrifice, continue to grow, get better, go outside their comfort zone."

"At the very least, selfless teammates -- that's the most I can ask for going into this free agency, to get around guys that want to be around one another."

"Want to send my thoughts and prayers out to the LGBT community. The only thing that's going to stop all this madness is love. The only thing that can conquer hate is love. I think that's what we need to do is love one another. My prayers and thoughts go out to the community of Orlando."
Rajon Rondo, on Sunday's mass shooting in Orlando
Rondo also was asked to comment on Sunday's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people were killed in the worst mass shooting in United States history. Last December, Rondo directed a gay slur at veteran NBA referee Bill Kennedy, who announced he was gay after the incident. Rondo later apologized.

"I definitely want to apologize again for my actions earlier on in the year. That's not who I am if you know me.

"Want to send my thoughts and prayers out to the LGBT community. The only thing that's going to stop all this madness is love. The only thing that can conquer hate is love. I think that's what we need to do is love one another. My prayers and thoughts go out to the community of Orlando."

And from Rondo's one year stint in Chicago.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/rajon-rondo-opens-bulls-tenure-getting-benched-fred-hoiberg


The 2016-17 Bulls season was one not without controversy. Although the team advanced to the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, they experienced locker room disfunction that saw Wade and Butler pitted against Rondo and the younger players.

Rondo was also benched for 6 games in the middle of the season with Chicago.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Rondo is a hot head, it’s good and bad, the team needs a Rondo. Brad isn’t one of these coaches like Bellichek, that can adapt a system to a fit a players strength. He’s the opposite.

cowens

I think I understand what you are saying but we should not mention Bill Belichick and Brad Stevens because it is really not fair to Brad. Brad is a top 10 NBA coach, probably top 5-7.

Brad has too many guys taking too many bad 3 point shots because he does not look to enhance a particular strength of a player. If a player does not fit neatly into his style of play which centers on 3 point shooting, he has no use for them. This team is void of any discipline when it comes to launching a 3 point bomb.

Speaking of 3 pointers, the Celtics finished at #15 in 3 point percentage this year down from #6 the year before. During the playoffs Boston shot only 34.1% from deep. They missed tons of wide open 3 point shots. The overall volume of attempts was pretty much the same YOY. The issue was one of accuracy which reflects replacing shooters on the roster with non-shooters. We had no solid knock down guys in the rotation except for maybe BW who is no volume guy. (Danny's fault for not adding one and Brad's fault for not exploring other avenues for getting points)

TJ, you made my point with thise two articles that Rondo was an excellent asset to both Saxto, where he led the league in assists, and Chicago. He singlehandedly almost beat the Celts in the playoffs. If you meant to diss Rajon with those two articles. I don't see how you made the point.

worcester wrote:TJ, you made my point with thise two articles that Rondo was an excellent asset to both Saxto, where he led the league in assists, and Chicago. He singlehandedly almost beat the Celts in the playoffs. If you meant to diss Rajon with those two articles. I don't see how you made the point.

The articles were clear that things were not at all smooth sailing in the locker room and the court for some of Rondo's stops.
If you think he would be a great fit for Boston, great. I will just disagree.
I hope Rondo comes back to LA, but if he doesn't, LA just moves on.

I would like to see him in Boston because they are a team in need of direction.

Once again Rondo has proved that he can be a catalyst on a team to distribute the ball to guys when they need it and where they need it.

These factors however do not increase the likelihood that he comes back.. LA is a great fit for him because they have 2 elite scorers. Rondo allowed them to rest Lebron or take him off the ball which has to be useful for a guy that has played in 260 playoff games.

Rondo is "not walking through the door" LA remains a terrific spot for him to finish off his career.

The Celtics need to draft a really good PG that they can develop into a starter. At this point, Rondo is a rotation guy and this team already has rotation guys to play the point, albeit, average backup PG's.

Yes. LA is a perfect fit for Tajon, and we do need a great young true PG to bond with JT and JB for years to come.

worcester wrote:Yes. LA is a perfect fit for Tajon, and we do need a great young true PG to bond with JT and JB for years to come.

Yep that is my thinking. The Celtics could draft the best available PG at 14 and when the J's are sniffing the start of their prime years that young PG could be ready to start.

But as you know Danny probably goes in a different direction. The only thing I hope for is that Danny does not reach, regardless of position.