More than a few people feel that the Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to land Rajon Rondo when he becomes a free agent this summer, if not sooner. By having breakfast with the Boston Celtics point guard, Kobe Bryant is well aware that he is fueling the speculation.
The Lakers are in Boston to take on the Celtics Friday night, so Rondo and Bryant decided to grab a bite to eat together on Thursday morning. But relax, guys — ESPN’s Romona Shelburne says the meeting was strictly social.
However, Shelburne also reports that the Lakers and Celtics discussed a potential trade for Rondo before the season.
While there are no active talks between the two franchises involving a trade for Rondo, sources said the teams did have a brief discussion a few months ago.
It’s not clear which team initiated the call.
Rondo will be a free agent this summer, and sources stressed that the Celtics would prefer to re-sign him.
Their willingness to engage in talks regarding Rondo is merely informational at this point, sources said.
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, who shared the photo you see above, believes that the Lakers could pry Rondo away from the Celtics for two first-round picks and Steve Nash’s expiring deal. The Lakers owe their 2015 first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns unless it falls within the top five picks, which is not out of the question given how bad they have been.
If the Celtics don’t think they can re-sign Rondo after the season, they’d be dumb not to trade him. Should Danny Ainge decide dealing Rondo is his best option, don’t be surprised if the first call he makes is to the Lakers.
