Rondo Agrees To $55M Extension
by Jeff Clark on Nov 2, 2009 1:02 PM EST
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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PrintCeltics give Rondo $55 million extension - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
League sources said the extension is for five years and guarantees Rondo at least $55 million. With the two sides facing a Monday deadline to get a deal done, Duffy said he called Celtics president Danny Ainge on Sunday to inform him Rondo was prepared to play out his contract and become a restricted free agent next summer because they weren’t satisfied with the team’s previous offers. Ainge, however, surprised Duffy by responding that Rondo’s contract hopes would be met.
"As much as we were willing to wait his contract out, the Celtics stepped up to the plate to meet the original request," Duffy said by phone. "This is a really fair contract. We wanted him to be paid like one of the top five point guards around. It also allows the Celtics to maintain continuity to continue to be one of the best teams at this time."
I couldn't be happier for the guy and for the team. I understand the value of getting the lowest contract terms possible to build a team within the financial constraints of the salary cap and all that. But at the end of the day, the sides were just a few million apart and it seems like the Celtics decided to pay the extra 5 million or so to get it done. Hats off to Bill Duffy who did his client well.
I think that Rondo has proven that he's a very competitive player and that he'll work hard to continue improving and pushing for another championship, despite the fact that he's now set for life (provided he doesn't follow Antoine's lead).
Considering the market for other players, I'd say the deal was pretty fair.
Rondo's new deal averages $11 million a season, the same amount San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker earned when he signed a six-year, $66 million extension to his rookie contract in 2004. Among members of Rondo's 2006 rookie class, Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Brandon Roy received a five-year, $80 million contract extension. The Blazers also gave forward LaMarcus Aldridge a five-year, $65 million extension.
And if the Celtics overpaid by $5M to get it done, that's worth it to me considering the fact that there was always that risk that he would have gotten a max offer on the (restricted) open market next year. Sure, some restricted free agents have mostly been getting less money in the market this year, but that doesn't mean next year will be the same (especially with the new collective bargaining agreement coming up). By locking Rondo up, the Celtics managed their risk.
Rondo is one of the best point guards in the game and he's a critical piece to the championship hopes of this current core group of veterans. Of course (Lord willing) he'll be playing long after this group retires and for the Celtics he represents a critical building block for the future. As long as Perk's body holds up, we've got a solid center and a top notch point guard to build a team around.
This move also appears to lock the Celtics into a strategy that does not involve being players in the free agent market next year (except with the MLE). It also might make them more willing to take on short term salary via trade in order to upgrade the talent level of the team for the next 2 to 3 years. Hopefully it also marks the end of the Rondo trade rumors as well (at least for the near future).
As a big Rondo fan, I've got a big smile on my face today. As a Celtics fan, I can only hope that whatever maturity issues he's had in the past remain in the past. It worked for Paul Pierce and it could work for Rondo. I hope they are both Celtics for life.
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Best way to start the week!
I think it’s a fair price for both parties. Rondo gets a very safe and big deal and the C’s secure the future of the franchise. It’s hard to find a PG of this quality, court vision, athleticism and overall talent. Awesome!
woooooooo hooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so happy i clicked on my celtics blog link for the 20th time today :P
Bargain
All the talk about potential locker room issues paid off :)
But slowly things happen that they cannot help and the Blazers Fellowship of the Ring begins to break apart
Love this kid
Hopefully many more championships to come!
The contract details should look about like this:
Assuming the reported numbers are accurate and that he got a typically structured contract (lowest possible initial salary wtih the max 10.5% bump of the first year salary in every year) Rondo’s contract looks approximately like this:
2010-11: $9,090,909.09
2011-12: $ 10,045,454.54
2012-13: $ 10,999,999.99
2013-14: $ 11,954,545.44
2014-15: $ 12,909,090.89
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
so does the deal start next season?
What happens with the $3,018,783 he was supposed to get, according to the salaries at shamspots.com?
that’s probably just a qualifying offer number. that is out the window. whatever he negotiated in the contract will be his salary for next year.
Yep...
The only way Rondo would have played for that number is if he’d signed our offer sheet for purposes of being an unrestricted free agent in two summers.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Reasonable Price
When I saw the difference between the offers originally I thought it was close enough to make a deal. And if Rondo plays the rest of the season like he is playing now, then the contract is a steal, as it would have cost us a lot more to resign him in the summer.
Glad that’s out of the way. And as Mike said, “Rondo’s buying in Philly.”
Great news!
I hope he is a reasonable man and this new contract (money, I mean) will no go to his head. That being said, now it’s time for Rajon to develop as a player to prove everybody that he is worth it.
hat tip to fastbreak
He called it in the chat room last night and I was a doubter. I’m happy with the signing, I bet rondo could have gotten more if he had waited until after the season so that’s good
by Jimmy Toscano on Nov 2, 2009 7:19 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I danced.
And tonight I’ll raise my glass to Rondo, and the Celtics.
Let’s get no.18.
- Dirk 'DaarisDirk' van Boxtel
I just realized...
… this means that the next 5 years we’re going to have the Rajon Rondo show. Whatever happens to whoever else plays here, whatever happens to KG, Captain, Jesus, Sheed, we will at least be able to enjoy Rajon’s further rise to stardom.
I’m loving it.
No uncertainty, no guessing at whether he’ll be extending for less money next year so his fellow players can stay as well, no aging issues, no expiring contract stuff, nothing!
Seriously, today is a good day for Celtics everywhere.
- Dirk 'DaarisDirk' van Boxtel
Well I guess the internal issues with rondo's attitude
were resolved enough to get 11 million a year…
They must really like this kid. Here’s to hoping he continues to work hard.
"Do you know that nonbelievers create the most positive energy?" Davis said
we posted a pro-con piece early this summer
I took the side of ‘we should sign him’ and Roy took the side of ‘we should wait’
when it was announced that there wouldn’t be a deal, Roy made a light hearted comment about winning the arguement, this is my retort
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
Indeed, you win...
Although I reserve the right to argue that we should have waited. ;-)
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
he still needs to prove that he is worth it otherwise
inconsistencies in his play can hurt the celtic’s window in winning banner 18 and beyond for the next 2-3 years with the current big three and big bench!
Good move
The Celts held more cards than Duffy/Rondo did so this was a strong statement to the player. I could be wrong, but I think the big bucks are going elsewhere next summer and a no-outside-shot PG is not a franchise cornerstone. Rondo on another team would not look as spectacular as he does with our veterans. Thus I think the C’s had the edge this summer.
Having said all that, Tony Parker couldn’t shoot a lick when he got into the league. Neither could Jason Kidd. So the C’s must have determined that his upside greatly exceeds his downside (the downside being the Mark Blount now-I’ve-got-mine-I’m done-trying)
So, I’m happy if they are. It isn’t my money and I don’t have to think through the cap issues. I liked rondo’s chippiness with Chris Paul yesterday, even though Paul showed in 2nd half who the complete PG is.
his jumper looks much better
i think, over the course of the season, he’ll start shooting it at a much better percentage. form is definitely important, and he definitely improved that significantly.
by guy incognito on Nov 2, 2009 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
I couldn't have been more wrong about this situation.
I was dead sure Rondo’s agent was going to take us all through the usual unpleasant nonsense. My hat’s off to Rondo.
yup
the worst case scenario was that next summer Rondo and his agent would pull some stunts to distance themselves from the Celtics in an effort to get other teams to bid on him – thankfully we don’t have to worry about that anymore
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
I'm Surprised
He could have gotten more by waiting.
So where does this leave Ray Allen, who also wants an extension, and Kendrick Perkins, who deserves an extension? They also need to address Daniels, who is on a one year deal at way below market.
IMHO they will be paying a BIG luxury tax bill until Garnett and Pierce ride off into the sunset.
he might have gotten more
but he might have ended up in Minnesota. At the end of the day he gets very well compensated for the next 5 years and gets to play with some incredible talent.
I hope that this leaves Ray in a position to re-sign a 3 or 4 year deal for a much lower price than he currently earns. 7-8 million per is my guess. We all know that Ray takes too good care of himself to just burn out. He is the kind of star that slowly fades, and his greatest asset (shooting) will not be going anywhere. Plus, he is at a point where winning as part of a special team probably outweighs chasing bucks. And, he’s hinted at how his family is happy here in New England. I am crossing my fingers that the C’s give him a long term deal at a reasonably low price.
by milt palacio's shot on Nov 2, 2009 8:38 AM EST up reply actions
They have to get Perkins done. I don’t think this will stand in the way at all.
I’m not sure about Ray though. It’ll be interesting how they go in that direction. At some point they will have to transition from the Big 3 era; the first opportunity will be this offseason (barring a very unlikely midseason trade) when Ray’s deal is up.
I was thinking about Daniels’ situation the other day. And I concluded he is gone, one and done just like Posey. He’s basically playing for free (relatively speaking) this year, and I expect him to try and cash in next season. Although if he keeps playing sub-20mpg, that might be a little more difficult.
It's early,
but I’ve already been thinking of Daniels as the guy who gets most (all?) of the MLE. Especially if he stays healthy for a change.
Don’t we have some sort of Bird rights on House? Or will re-signing him devour MLE/LLE space as well?
This is a team worth keeping together, but if anyone goes, is it Shuttlesworth?
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
I agree on Daniels, as far as the value, I’m just doubtful that we’re the team to give the MLE to him. Ray’s situation might play into that. Danny must have some scenarios to consider. The challenge is not to break up this group a year too early or a year too late. I really don’t know the answer, I hope Danny has it, though.
I don't think he needs that much
They were only going to give him $3M or so from the sign and trade. But I’d be happy if their only offseason moves were to resign him for a couple of years and either sign Ray to an extension or replace him. I like the makeup of our current team.
My impression was that Daniels had better offers, but he (1) liked Boston’s winning environment, and (2) made a business decision that being here would boost his value. Basically, looking for the Posey scenario.
I expect Ainge will be prepared to pay Daniels. But if Daniels seeks too much, Ainge will already have an eye on the next guy that’s set to follow the Posey pathway.
Daniels is a lot younger than Pose
if he fits in well and contributes, he’ll get paid
it might only be a portion of the MLE (split) but I don’t think Ainge would have as many reservations about a 3 year deal (or so)
I’m not sure how much longer Ainge will be able to bring in guys for under market value because they want to play for a ring (perhaps another year or two) but I like the trend
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
Perk is under contract for this year and next
So DA has a little time to figure out more pieces.
As far as Ray, he wants to stay here, so I do see him willing to take a paycut – its just a matter of how much at this point. I don’t think he gets a 3-4 yr extension. Maybe something like 2 yrs, 3 yrs tops.
Don't Trade Rondo or Perk!
This ups my level of faith in Danny Ainge
who has said that he doesn’t want to relive the painful fall from grace that happened to the 80’s Celtics. What he has done is establish a strong link from this current championship-level team to whatever team we will have in the next half-decade.
Building a culture of winning in a franchise is very difficult thing to do. And when you have that culture, you have to do all you can to ensure its continuation. That’s what it’s all about. The Spurs and Lakers are the only other teams in the league that truly have a culture of winning established – and it took the C’s 20 years of pain and at least one miracle trade to get theirs back.
by milt palacio's shot on Nov 2, 2009 8:30 AM EST reply actions
Now
I hope Rondo can make Chris Paul eats his words about Rondo only being as good because of the big 3.
I think Chris Paul made a good point though
Rondo is a VERY lucky young PG. And the C’s are a very lucky franchise to have a dynamic and confident young PG who gets championship grooming his first few seasons in the league. A player’s trajectory is always affected by his circumstances. Robert Horry was a good player, right, but he was incredibly lucky to play on such good teams every year. Especially playing with the Rockets his first 2 seasons when they won championships – that set the stage for everything.
by milt palacio's shot on Nov 2, 2009 8:44 AM EST up reply actions
Completely
agree with you 100%. That’s why I said “hope”. I really hope Rondo doesn’t become one of those players that completely lets up, once he gets the big money. I hope he and Perk takes the lessons the big 3 imposed on them and pass them on.
I thought that comment was more of a shot at his teammates than it was at Rondo...
He went on to say that Rondo is an excellent point guard. However, I think he was saying that the fact that Rondo has a ring doesn’t mean that he’s on CP3’s level. I think Paul is jealous, basically.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
That's funny,
I read it the other way. I took it as Chris saying Rondo would not be mentioned if it weren’t for the group he gets to pay with. Chris and a good portion of the NBA players were probably jealous after those trades I bet.
Well, here's more of what he said:
Like I said, man, he’s a great point guard. He has won an NBA championship, something I hope to achieve."
"Like I said, they are a great team," he continued. "I watch them play on (NBA) League Pass. The way they communicate. KG? I could go on and on about him and the intensity he brings every night."
I don’t see that as inherently disrespectful. Thus, why I read it the way I do.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
It’s hard to tell since we weren’t in the room, but I read it more like Kyle. I think C.Paul was being disingenuous with his “great point guard” follow-up comments. It’s basically what Tony Parker said last season.
Although, I did not look at it as a shot to his own teammates (which seems like a worse thing to say to me actually). But you could be right. I did hear a rumor he wasn’t thrilled with losing Chandler, and there were of course multiple reports about unhappiness/unease with Okafor’s slow integration with the team.
I guess I focused more
on his quote right before, which was ("Rondo is a lucky guy, to play with guys like Pierce, (Ray) Allen and (Kevin) Garnett," Paul, who scored 22 points with eight assists, said with a sly smile.)
Then the interviewer asked if that was a shot at Rondo and Paul followed up with what you posted. At that point, I think he took the high road and just said Ronda was great.
Celts have to feel that they overpaid...
I`m sure they felt $9M per year was more than “fair”.
But, they could NOT afford the backlash had they lost him next summer. Also, they would`ve been blamed if Rondo had a poor season, due to distractions by him being unsigned.
Also, Rondo & his agent had an early season plan : Shoot as little as possible!
He is averaging about 5 shot attempts per game {1/2 as many compared to previous 2 seasons}. He has attempted no 3-pointers AND has zero FT attempts. He has been dishing the ball exclusively, rather than exposing his lack of shooting skills.
Now, he`ll feel more free to shoot.
I think your exatrapolations
are off the mark and I don’t believe the C’s made this decision based on the first 4 games of the year.
They know Rondo pretty well (limitations) I would assume and this was more based on the fact that he is arguably a top 5 PG in the league which was the case at the end of last year.
His not shooting has more to do with him being an actual PG….
"Do you know that nonbelievers create the most positive energy?" Davis said
Great point (re shot attempts)
NO PUN INTENDED
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
Maybe Rondo can send over that extra few millions
to PO(we) ………
Seriously, it’s not my money….just my team…..so I am happy. Roy brings up a valid point about Mark Blunt except that Mark was an idiot, is an idiot, was never worth the money he signed for in the first place, was a terrible teammate and had hands the exact opposite of Rondo (small and stiff vs alien hands with sticky pods)
Is it Soup Yet?
Haha. To be clear, Po...
I only brought up Blount in response to the “if somebody gets given a contract, they’re obviously worth it” line of thinking. That’s simply not true, and Blount is the easiest example for Celtics fans to grab on to.
I don’t think Rondo will follow the Blount route, by any means.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
We should know by Tuesday.
That’s how long it took Skippy to bag it, after he signed his big deal.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
This season...just getting better and better
Seem like smart moves all over by management and players.
On and off the court just great. Even with the Big Baby incident, it allowed Shelden Williams to show that he is very capable.
Glad we signed Johnny, but.....
I kind of wish we waited until the end of the year. I would have liked to see him play like a man who wants to get paid. Plus with the Summer of LeBron coming I think we would have been able to sign him pretty easy.
Got up at 4am to do my daily workout and...
Read this news… There was no better way to get me jump-started! Solid deal for both sides, I am ecstatic.
by MrTripleDouble10 on Nov 2, 2009 9:33 AM EST reply actions
I think they may ultimately have gotten a bargain
5 years/$55 million breaks down to this
2010-11 $9.09 million
2011-12 $10.04 million
2012-13 $11 million
2013-14 $11.95 million
2014-15 $12.9 million
Maybe about a million more per year than Ainge wanted to pay but ultimately, I think he saved some money because I am convinced that Mike D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh would have targeted Rondo this off season for sure offering something bigger than this package.
Especially D'Antoni.
Fits his style of play. Wasn’t he with this Suns when Rondo was drafted?
- Dirk 'DaarisDirk' van Boxtel
yeah, i believe so, but i thought they didn’t like Rondo and D’Antoni specifically didn’t like him, because he can’t shoot. If NY struck out on everyone else, I could’ve seen them going after Rondo, but I don’t think it was a shoo-in.
Giddens is the one guy
who might do better on the Knicks than on the Cs. He’s actually a good open-court player, if a team is actually going to run.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
Right on!
While I certainly could se the cost benefits of waiting it out, I am feeling a great deal of relief that we have secured Rondo.
I mean, can Chris Paul do this?
Giddens?
What about Giddens? He’s suppose to get an extension until today too, isn’t he? I won’t be surprised if he’s waived though.
Ainge now only has to resign Ray Allen, Daniels, Williams, House and probably Hudson and Walker. Looks like Ainge will have another busy summer next year.
It won't be a matter of waiver...
Rather, the Celtics are very likely to decline their option to have him back next year. He’d still remain on the roster this season (at least until he’s traded).
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
smart move
Rondo is not going to relax now that the contract is settled.‘…..ask Chris Paul (because I’m sure the deal was done before the game)
actually
I remember reading that he said he was going to call his agent on his way home from the game
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
good move
good move from several aspects.
- allows Rondo to truly focus on playing rather than future earnings.
- allows Rondo to play within himself rather than trying to overdo it to show he’s worth more —> no having to audition for a big contract
- one less chance for locker room distractions
The total $ may be a bit on the high side currently but if he develops a reliable jumper out to 18 feet, he’ll be underpaid and can claim to be the best PG without debate.
Agree with last two posts
I think DA balanced (1) the possible “headcase” effects of Rondo spending the year auditioning (to Rondo’s credit, he realized winning #18 would be the best way OF auditioning—but not the only way) with (2) the “headcase” effects of giving Rondo his dough a year early, and concluded that the latter was the lesser of the available evils.
"People don't understand, if you can't live the rest of your life off one year in the NBA, you can't live off 21." -- Keon Clark
Moving Forward
Looking ahead to the Summer of 2010 I think there is no way Ray stays. I would love to see us sign a younger SG like JJ. We need to transition in some more youth while KG and Paul get older. No way we get LB, D Wade or Bosh now.
Thats surprising
that Aldridge gets paid that much, I really don’t think he’s any better than Rondo. I think the general consensus has become the 2006 draft should have gone B-Roy, Rondo, Gay, Aldridge. I think this is a great price to extend Rondo, as its basically what he’s worth right now, maybe a little more. But if he keeps on improving at a similar rate to the past few years, than we just got a deal on one great point guard over the next five years.
injury risk
he was banged up when he signed the extension so he signed for a little less than what good centers usually get because it gave him security for the future
he’s still an injury risk but he’s been relatively healthy for a few years now – it will be interesting to see how much risk the Celtics are willing to take on with him in the next contract
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
Depth
Looking at the Cap for next year, this by far we will be one of the deepest teams we ever have. I have a feeling there will be some more holes next year.
Rondo signs....
wooooohoooooooo! GREAT news! When Rondo is “on” running the plays on the floor, !the whole C’s team is “on”. Smooth! Looking forward to 5 more years of watching him mature even more in Boston. Go C’s! No distractions now. Title ahead AGAIN! YOU CAN DO IT!!
I just wish we still had Powe. He was always an amazing rebounder that we could count on in there. Not to mention his depth of character which adds alot more to the roster than can be measured by money…
We miss him every thread and blogpost.
Thank you for missing him in this one as well ;) hehe
- Dirk 'DaarisDirk' van Boxtel, Celtic fan.
Excellent news.
I’m even more excited to see Rondo perform this season now that we have secured him long term. I’m sure he will be an All-Star this year, and hopefully a Celtic for life!
perk will look to cash in next contract
It will be his last big contract I can see him looking for a 5-6 year deal at about 8-10 per depending on his performance the next two years. It looks like he is improving every game
by Jimmy Toscano on Nov 2, 2009 1:56 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Disagree
If he stays healthy Perk’s got many more years of his top level earning power ahead.
agree that he has more than 6 years to play, but
his biggest contract will be his next. After that, you may see 2-3 year deal for less money. You do agree that his next contract will be his biggest, no?
next will probably be his biggest
but considering quality centers are a premium in this league, it won’t be his only big contract. who knows, maybe by the time he’s 30, he’s mastered a 15-18 foot jumper and smoothed over the remaining rough edges of his current post game and he’s even more valuable.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
Guess all the consternation about his contract status and being thrown under the bus by Danny was just garbage. I wonder where all the posters are who said we’d lose him because of Danny.
Are you out there? Didn’t think so. Now I guess you guys can find something else to complain about1
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