The Sacramento Kings and four-time All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo have agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract. This deal comes shortly after the Kings signed shooting guard Marco Belinelli, who was also a free agent.
Rondo was last seen sitting on the bench after getting in an argument with head coach Rick Carlisle in the Dallas Mavericks' opening playoff series with the Houston Rockets. He won a championship with Boston in 2008, but was traded to the Mavericks in mid-December of last season.
There have been plenty of bumping heads in Sacramento the past couple of weeks with head coach George Karl wanting to trade center DeMarcus Cousins, only for that proposition to be shut down swiftly by ownership.
The signing of Rondo and Belinelli today helps change the mood in Sac-town. This now gives the Kings outstanding depth at the point guard position with Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison. Putting Rondo in a lineup with small forward Rudy Gay and Cousins should be a step in the right direction for the Kings, as they finished with a 29-53 record last season.
Before the incident in Dallas, Rondo was planning on being a highly-coveted free agent this summer, but it also was a big reason for teams to shy away. The Los Angeles Lakers were also a team that were interested in Rondo, but only got as far as a phone call reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. One thing to watch this upcoming season for the Kings is if they keep Karl as head coach and if he is, how he will put together a system.
A week ago, the outlook for the Kings' franchise was looking to prepare for another year in the bottom of the standings, but after the moves made today, it will be interesting if they can push into the Western Conference playoff picture.