Winners and Losers: The Rajon Rondo Trade

There can be endless debate about who the best point guard in the NBA is, but it cannot be argued that Rajon Rondo is one of the best in the game. Since 2012, the ex-Boston Celtic point guard has averaged 11.7 points, 10.6 assists, 6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. In that span he has only played in 91 games, but he’s managed to record 9 triple-doubles. The 28-year-old veteran point guard may be an injury risk, but the Dallas Mavericks took the leap of faith.

It’s been known for a while that the Celtics were shopping Rondo, and it was only a matter of time before a viable suitor showed up. The Mavericks proved to be just that, and last week the deal was etched into stone.

The Mavericks agreed to send three players to Boston: former first round pick Brandan Wright, fellow forward Jae Crowder and veteran point guard Jameer Nelson. In addition to that, the Celtics acquired a conditional first-round pick in 2015, a second rounder in 2016, and a $12.9 million trade exception.

In return, the Mavs scooped up Rondo and the 45^th pick in this year’s draft, forward Dwight Powell. This begs the question, who are the winners and losers of this trade?

Obviously, the Mavericks won. They got the star point guard and game manager that they’ve been looking for, and didn’t give up any integral pieces. Brandan Wright will be the biggest immediate loss, as he was a nice rim protector coming off the bench. The 6-year big man out of North Carolina was averaging almost 9 points and 4 boards in just 19 minutes a game, and was blocking 1.6 shots per contest. This leaves Tyson Chandler as the sole rim-protector in their defense, which could pose an issue when the second unit comes in.

But that doesn’t threaten the Mavs in the grand scheme of things. They have a loaded starting lineup now, with valuable bench players. Rondo will start alongsided Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler. The Mavs have Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, Al-Farouq Aminu and Richard Jefferson coming off the bench. It’s not the strongest second unit, but it doesn’t need to be.

Rondo is adding championship experience to a team who still has 3 players from their 2011 Finals victory (Barea, Chandler, and Nowitzki). The chemistry will come quickly, and Rondo’s basketball IQ along with his vast skillset will make this team an instant contender.

I’ve heard some people saying the Celtics lost, but that couldn’t be less true. They did what they’ve been trying to accomplish: dump everyone from their championship roster, start fresh with young players and draft picks. Yes, Jameer Nelson is 32. But they will use him to teach Avery Bradley, Phil Pressey, and Marcus Smart how to run an offense.

The Celtics roster has an average age of 25.3, the fifth youngest in the NBA. This sets them up for the future, for which they already have a solid foundation.

This trade was nearly perfect in every way: it provided equal compensation for equal benefit to both sides.

But this trade doesn’t stop here… I haven’t touched upon the losers of this trade.

The entire Western conference lost in this deal (except Dallas of course). Now that Dallas poses this great of a threat, everyone in the West is at risk. Dirk doesn’t have to be the game manager in the fourth quarter anymore. With Rondo present, Dirk can spot up, post up, and play his game. Monta Ellis will still be able to create shots for himself, but he also has someone creating them for him now. Parsons is in the same boat as Ellis, and Chandler will work the pick and roll. For an offense that was already scoring the most in the NBA, they just got a whole lot more lethal.

But the biggest loser in this trade is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They had their chance to deal Westbrook for Rondo, which would have been the blockbuster deal of the century. It would have opened up so many doors for both sides. But if you ask me, the Thunder will never win a championship with Westbrook and KD sharing the scoring. They are simply following their stats, trying to keep up with them. Russ may be averaging 7.2 assists per game, but it doesn’t matter. In the big picture, the Thunder can’t get by the Spurs, Clippers, and now the Grizzlies, Warriors, and presumably the Mavericks. Missing out on the Rondo opportunity is what makes them the biggest losers of this deal.

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