Rondo Trade Watch: Celtics Turn Down Lakers Offer for Rondo

BOSTON.COM

Brian Robb
@CelticsHub

Rajon Rondo spent some time having breakfast with Kobe Bryant in Boston a couple weeks back. It appears now that meeting may have been more of a recruiting pitch than originally anticipated.

According to Sam Amick of USA Today, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a play for both Rondo and Jeff Green.

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.
Amick also lists the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks as teams that are interested in a Rondo offer.

Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com reported this afternoon a Lakers trade offer for Rondo included Steve Nash as well.

Putting together the pieces of both reports, a deal of Steve Nash and Jordan Hill for Rondo and Green would work under salary cap rules, but it's a laughable offer from a Boston perspective. Nash is out for the season with a back injury and Hill is under contract for one more season (team option) earning $9.5 million for the year.

Hill is a 27-year-old power forward that is a solid player posting 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game but is not a reliable defender. He's also not the kind of trade asset that would be worth giving up Rondo for, especially when you consider the fact the Celtics wouldn't be dumping much future salary in the deal. The first round pick included in the offer would be Houston's (acquired in the Jeremy Lin deal and likely to fall late in the 20's).

The Lakers will have the cap space to pursue Rondo in free agency in the offseason, so it's unlikely they will increase their offer any more than this. Based on this reality, don't count on Rondo joining up with his long-time rival this season.

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