Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski was on WEEI this morning and he explained the whole Rajon Rondo trade rumor mess.
If the Celtics had a chance to get Chris Paul, they would have moved Rondo to get him. That's just the reality Rondo will have to live with….
The one thing about Rondo, for all the talks he has been in, and he HAS been in a lot of talks, I don't think Danny Ainge was ever going to trade him unless he got back a super star. I think that was their goal. Because of his contract, because he's young, he's the one piece they have that has appeal to teams.
I thought a couple of years ago… they put him out there when he was really having some issues getting along with teammates and being coachable, they dangled him to Detroit, they dangled him to Memphis. I think they were trying to put a little scare into him saying 'you don't think you're getting enough credit around you here? You think you have things so bad? How would you like to go play in those places right now and go play for those lottery teams?'
But right now I think when they put him out there, it was for a chance to get a franchise type player.
This is important not to dredge up the rumors, but to explain them. And if anyone has enough sources to be in the know, it's Woj. And the perspective is important as we watch Rondo, his development, and what to expect as the season progresses.
The only player Rondo was ever going to be traded for was Chris Paul. So let us definitevely say that now that Chris Paul has picked up his option and is staying with the Clippers, Rondo is going nowhere.
Again, I stress this importance because some people might try to dredge up the "well, Rondo was shopped earlier in the season…" stuff. Unless Rondo pisses Doc and Danny off to a point of being intolerable, he's going nowhere. And I don't see him butting heads with people like that.
The past trade rumors add perspective to what Rondo was and maybe can be (or will be again. We'll just have to wait and see). But the fact that he wasn't shipped off in this whirlwind "offseason" shows that the attitude isn't the issue any more. I'm betting Rondo finishes his contract in Boston. I don't think there's any need, with the cap space the Celtics have, to pursue a trade for anyone other the Chris Paul.
To hear the entire Adrian Wojnarowski interview, go here. He also touches on the pursuit of David West, the Stern vetoing of the first Chris Paul trade, the Lakers and who will win the NBA title.
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