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Danny Ainge was a guest on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich on Thursday morning, and told them that the Boston Celtics have offered captain Rajon Rondo a contract extension.
Danny Ainge just told us that they offered Rondo an extension, and stated that Rondo would be paid star money.
— Toucher and Rich (@Toucherandrich) January 23, 2014
I haven't heard the interview yet, so I don't know how he said this, or even in what context, but I will say that it's not surprising. I have thought all along that the Celtics won't trade their star point guard unless they are blown away with an offer.
In other words, just because they may have offered Rondo an extension, it doesn't rule out the chance that a trade occurs at some point this year or next. A lot of teams have good point guards, but not many have one at the caliber of Rondo, so he obviously holds a ton of value.
I've thought a lot recently about Rajon Rondo deals that make sense for both teams, and I think they are hard to come up with considering he is such an unbelievable player. I'm sure Danny Ainge feels that way too, which is why Rondo's still in Boston and was recently named the captain.
Update:
"We did talk to Rondo about extending him," Ainge said Thursday during his weekly appearance on Boston sports radio 98.5 the SportsHub. "But that's all part of the negotiation that will happen again this summer and most likely the summer after." Later Ainge added, "In the collective bargaining agreement, there are limits on what can and can't be done. Really, it's not that Rondo doesn't want to accept an extension, as much as it's just not financially smart for him to accept it right now. We didn't think he would [sign], but we did try."