I'm all for exploring this trade for Chris Paul for as long as it is a remote possibility. However, I must admit that the very, very public nature of the rumor makes it awkward for everyone. Rondo was never the most easy-to-reach or understand kind of guys. These rumors probably aren't helping his relationship with the team.
BostonHerald.com - Blogs: Celtics Insider" Blog Archive " Rondo’s rep says he’s staying
Rajon Rondo’s agent acknowledged that the Celtic point guard is having a hard time dealing with the trade rumors that have been all over the media in the last several days....
The agent emerged from those talks more confident about Rondo’s place here. "I’m told that he’s their guy," Duffy told the Herald. "There’s been repeated interest in him, as there is in other players. But they have high expectations for Rajon now and moving forward." Still, the talk that the Celtics are looking to deal Rondo has caused more than a few waves. "It’s just disturbing," said Duffy. "It’s disturbing for everybody. It’s disturbing for me. It’s disturbing for him, because it makes one think, ‘Where do I stand in this relationship?’ Particularly because he’s a darn good player, and this is a very successful franchise, and he’s one of the key players on the franchise."
I think there's a good chance that this trade could in theory happen. However, there's still a greater chance that it won't. So if that is the case, there will have to be some bridge mending that goes beyond a meeting with an agent assuring him that his client is "their guy."
Another interesting theory (by Sean Deveny) is that the Celtics are doing all of this just to motivate Rondo. Read his theory after the break.
Celtics again turn to trade-rumor tactic to motivate Rajon Rondo - NBA - Sporting News
There’s nothing quite like a raft of trade rumors to humble a young star. Rondo eventually signed an extension with the Celtics, and in ’09-10, had arguably his best season in the league, scoring 13.7 points with 9.8 assists, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and leading the league with 2.3 steals. Fast forward to this bizarre offseason, and you can’t help but get the sense that the Celtics are leaning on the “trade Rondo” tactic yet again—not because they are actually looking to trade Rondo, but because they want to snap him out of the funk he seemed to fall into after the team traded his good friend Kendrick Perkins in a surprise move last February.
I really don't buy that theory because I don't think that repeated rumors is the way to go. Maybe I could see doing it once, but not time after time over several years.
In other news, I traded hypothetical proposals with Scott Carefoot (Raptors blogger) where the Raps would wind up with Rondo. Neither proposal seems all that realistic but it was a fun exercise.