Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo recently decided to opt-out of his contract with Los Angeles Lakers and will become a free agent this offseason. Now, there is a good chance that Rondo stays in LA regardless, but not necessarily in the same jersey.
According to NY Times’ Marc Stein, Rondo emerged as a target for Lakers’ crosstown rivals the Clippers. Stein reports that the Clippers are eager to add depth to the guard position and intend to pursue the 34-year-old player once the free agency opens in November.
Clippers are not pleased with the options they currently have at point guard, given that Patrick Beverley isn’t creative enough and has offensive limitations. At the same time, veteran Lue Williams is a score-first player and not the best choice for the starting lineup.
The organization would like to have a “floor general” and player who can create for others and run the offense efficiently. They believe this would ease the load on their star duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, enabling them to be more efficient on the floor.
This makes Rajon Rondo the perfect candidate, given his natural instinct to find his teammates on the floor and put them into a good position to score baskets. Rondo has been an “assistant machine” for the better part of his career, leading the league in assistants per game on three occasions.
Rondo is coming off a solid 2019/20 season in which he made an important contribution to the Lakers’ title-winning campaign. He was especially crucial in the postseason, averaging 8.9 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game.
