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| Did Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics do what was necessary trading Rajon Rondo. |
Just for a little recap here is the trade for the Celtics and Mavericks
Celtics Receive:
C Brandan Wright, F Jae Crowder, G Jameer Nelson, Protected 1st Round Pick, 2016 2nd Round Pick, 12.9 Million Trade Exception
Mavericks Receive:
G Rajon Rondo, F Dwight Powell
The Boston Celtics were at the point of no return with Rajon Rondo as he was nearing the end of his contract. Rumors say that Rondo was not going to sign back with the Celtics, Even if he wanted to re-sign with the Celts, Danny Ainge would have to overpay for his services, as he is 28 on a young team that is some time away from being a contender. Danny Ainge earned his nickname as the "The Snake" because of his lack of loyalty to long tenured players and will trade or release them when he sees fit. This might serve as a good trait for a GM because he is not hanging on to bad contracts and aging players, this can be seen from the Brooklyn Nets trade years back which now seems like the Celtics got away with robbery.
Coming off a torn ACL, Rondo's value was not as high as previous years so it was not realistic for the Celtics to get a trade similar to the Minnesota Timberwolves with Kevin Love or Denver Nuggets with Carmelo Anthony. Rondo despite his assists and rebound numbers is having a down season in terms of efficiency.
Rondo is shooting .416 in true shooting percentage. To get an idea how bad that really is, that shooting percentage is on par with Ben Wallace. Now Rajon Rondo is a good defensive player but not a four time defensive player of the year winner, you do not want your point guard shooting that bad on offensive as it allows opposing defenses to clog up the paint.
Although he is the top assist leader, Rajon Rondo is a ball-stopper. As we seen with the New York Knicks, ball-stoppers can be detrimental to the team. The Celtics were shown at times operating better as a cohesive unit when Rondo is on the bench.
Look back to the Toronto Raptors around the same time last season when they traded leading scorer Rudy Gay, Toronto if not spectacular, were doing particularly well in the Eastern Conference. Being the leading scorer, he was the highest usage player on the team while also not being an efficient player(like Rondo) and trading him opened up the offense. Rudy Gay was hindering other players on the team such as Kyle Lowry, Terrance Ross and Demar DeRozan and with the trade, the Raptors played with more cohesion and a year later is the top team in the Eastern Conference, Danny Ainge can only hope a similar effect can happen with the trade of Rajon Rondo.
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| Brandan Wright may be prove to be a wise acquisition for the Celtics. |
What about the players Celtics got for Rondo?
Jameer Nelson
The former Orlando Magic point guard's best years are definitely behind him, and he was for the most part a throw-in player in the trade but he can be a useful role-model to the young players. Believe it or not but now the Boston Celtics are a young team and with one other player over 30 in Gerald Wallace. Jameer Nelson may not be a Celtic after the season but can play a role within the club this season as a mentor for young guards in Marcus Smart and Phil Pressey.
Brandan Wright
Brandan Wright is a 6'10 long athletic big-man which the Dallas Mavericks will definitely miss when Tyson Chandler is on the bench. The former North Carolina bigman is averaging 8.6 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 18.3 minutes. Stretch that to 36 minutes and he is averages 16.9 points per game, 7.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. With a bunch of offensive minded bigman in Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller and Brandon Bass, Brandan Wright is much needed rim protector that has the potential to vastly improve the Celtics defensively. Wright is on an expiring 5 million contract this season so no guarantees he is coming back. So despite his usefulness, Celtics also can use the option of trading him for more assets.
Jae Crowder
Any NBA team can use a player who works game in and game out fighting for the 50/50 balls and playing within their role. Jae Crowder is that type of player who will hustle and work hard, he may not be as technically gifted as the other players in the NBA but he uses his strength and determination to be a menace for the opposition, It just so happens, Jae Crowder is a Brad Stevens type of player. Still on his rookie contract, Jae Crowder is a player who can very well play an integral role in the Celtics rebuild.
12.9 Million Trade Exception and Draft Picks
This part of the deal for the Celtics is the main reason Danny Ainge pulled the trigger. Let's start with the draft picks, The protected first round pick for the Celtics is the Mavericks' pick this season if they get it from 1-3 or 15-30 and in 2016 from 1-7. Unless Dallas gets in a miraculous losing streak,the Celtics will most likely have the first round pick and the second round pick in 2016. The Celtics will have four 2016 first round picks.
The best asset of this trade is the 12.9 million trade exception, this allows them to bypass the NBA contract guidelines when trading and allows the Celtics to take on any contract within a 12.9 million difference before the February trade deadline. This allows the Celtics to potentially acquire a star player from a team who is trying to offload their contract without sacrificing much of their own. Danny Ainge made magic in the past acquiring the big three, he might pull myself out of his hat before the deadline this season.
Conclusion
After former Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart was drafted with the 6th overall pick, it seemingly spelled the end of Rajon Rondo's tenure in Boston after making two final appearances, and winning the title once during his time with the Celtics. After many months of speculation, the rumors were true and Rajon Rondo was finally traded and is now out to the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks. By face value, seemingly the Celtics were the losers of the trade, but on the other side of the spectrum, the management felt it was the right move to make given Rondo's contract ends after this season. Nonetheless, the Rondo trade marks the final member of the 2007 Boston Celtic championship squad to leave the team.
Part 2: Dallas Mavericks Perspective
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Jae Crowder
Any NBA team can use a player who works game in and game out fighting for the 50/50 balls and playing within their role. Jae Crowder is that type of player who will hustle and work hard, he may not be as technically gifted as the other players in the NBA but he uses his strength and determination to be a menace for the opposition, It just so happens, Jae Crowder is a Brad Stevens type of player. Still on his rookie contract, Jae Crowder is a player who can very well play an integral role in the Celtics rebuild.
12.9 Million Trade Exception and Draft Picks
This part of the deal for the Celtics is the main reason Danny Ainge pulled the trigger. Let's start with the draft picks, The protected first round pick for the Celtics is the Mavericks' pick this season if they get it from 1-3 or 15-30 and in 2016 from 1-7. Unless Dallas gets in a miraculous losing streak,the Celtics will most likely have the first round pick and the second round pick in 2016. The Celtics will have four 2016 first round picks.
The best asset of this trade is the 12.9 million trade exception, this allows them to bypass the NBA contract guidelines when trading and allows the Celtics to take on any contract within a 12.9 million difference before the February trade deadline. This allows the Celtics to potentially acquire a star player from a team who is trying to offload their contract without sacrificing much of their own. Danny Ainge made magic in the past acquiring the big three, he might pull myself out of his hat before the deadline this season.
Conclusion
After former Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart was drafted with the 6th overall pick, it seemingly spelled the end of Rajon Rondo's tenure in Boston after making two final appearances, and winning the title once during his time with the Celtics. After many months of speculation, the rumors were true and Rajon Rondo was finally traded and is now out to the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks. By face value, seemingly the Celtics were the losers of the trade, but on the other side of the spectrum, the management felt it was the right move to make given Rondo's contract ends after this season. Nonetheless, the Rondo trade marks the final member of the 2007 Boston Celtic championship squad to leave the team.
Part 2: Dallas Mavericks Perspective
Follow ShaySportsRadio on Twitter!
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