Point guard Rajon Rondo is drawing interest from the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers and possibly the New Orleans Pelicans, a source tells The Undefeated. The source also says Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis is “a Rondo fan”, tweeted by Marcus J. Spears.
In need of a point guard
The teams interested in Rondo need an upgrade at the point. With backup point man Darren Collison facing domestic violence charges and Seth Curry the only other guard on the roster, a return to the Kings, a team Rondo called "dysfunctional", seems logical, but Sacramento seems ready to move on. The Bulls traded former NBA MVP Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, lost E’Twaun Moore to the Pelicans and stand to lose Aaron Brooks. Chicago signing Rondo makes sense unless they are comfortable starting Jose Calderon or Jerian Grant. The Sixers lost Ish Smith to the Detroit Pistons and do not house a point guard the caliber of Rondo, especially if Ben Simmons starts at power forward. The Pelicans only got 65 games and 23 starts out of Jrue Holiday, albeit with a 19.7 player efficiency rating, so they seem to need Rondo the least.
What Rondo brings to the table
Rondo lived up to his reputation as a pass-first point guard, leading the NBA in assists per game (11.7). The four-time All-Star averaged 11.9 points, six rebounds, and two steals per game per game. Rondo finished with a shooting line of .454/.365/.580. Rondo’s 36 percent three-point shooting was a career high for the guard, including an impressive 41 percent on corner threes. Before last season Rondo was virtually ineffective anywhere outside the paint. On the other side of the ball, Rondo’s 2.3 defensive win shares last year show he played the usual tough defense in Sacramento. Rondo owns a career 8.7 assists per game mark playing in Sacramento, Boston, and Dallas.
Of the teams mentioned, the Sixers have most cap flexibility, they have not even reached the salary floor, though the other three teams have more than enough room to add Rondo. It all depends on where the former Boston Celtic wants to go.