It’s a big ol’ party now in Sacramento as the Kings agreed to terms on Friday with free agent point guard Rajon Rondo on a 1-year deal worth $10 million.
The news of the deal was first reported by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports on Twitter.
The Kings signed Marco Belinelli earlier in the day to a 3-year, $19 million deal and are hopeful that Rondo will be able to co-exist with incumbent point guard Darren Collison.
New Kings PG Rajon Rondo asked for a shooter,which led to Marco Bellinelli deal, source said.Expect Rondo & Darren Collison to play together
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 3, 2015
Rondo’s close friend Rudy Gay was said to play a big part in recruiting the 4-time All-Star to Sacramento. Gay shared his excitement on social media.
2015/16 https://t.co/pEqtttmXNA
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay8) July 3, 2015
Rondo is coming off a disastrous tenure with the Dallas Mavericks last season. He established himself as a locker room cancer with eroding skills and coachability problems after clashing with head coach Rick Carlisle and quitting on the team in their first-round playoff defeat to the Houston Rockets. After that fiasco, Rondo was said to be seeking a 1-year deal to rebuild his reputation and get a slice of the 2016 TV money pie.
Teams inquiring on Rajon Rondo will be told emphatically: Rondo prefers a one year deal. Looking to rebuild rep and cash in next summer.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) July 1, 2015
Rondo gets what he’s looking for with this Sacramento deal, albeit in a franchise where dysfunction reigns supreme from top to bottom. $10 million is a quite fair valuation for his current skills, especially for a Kings franchise that thought it would have to overpay prospective free agents to deal with their turmoil. Keep in mind the Kings struck out on Wesley Matthews, Monta Ellis, Corey Brewer, and Patrick Beverley. But Rondo’s volatility might not be the best fit on an already erratic Kings team.
With three ball-dominant guys now in Rondo, Gay, and DeMarcus Cousins, plus George Karl, an old-school disclipinarian with noted issues building relationships with players, in charge, the acquisition could push the Kings to the brink of complete combustion.
Though Rondo is still a very worthy NBA talent that would have incentive to swallow his ego and focus on rebuilding his brand to cash in on 2016, this deal is a total wild card for both sides right now.
If nothing else, the Kings would make for an absolutely fascinating reality show next season.
