:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67806770/usa_today_15055949.0.jpg)
Rajon Rondo doesn’t care about rivalries. He made that clear when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, eight years after his Boston Celtics lost to the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Now, after becoming just the second player in NBA history to win a championship with both the Celtics and Lakers, Rondo is ready to sign with another one of his former team’s rivals: the LA Clippers. While the Lakers’ rivalry with the Clippers isn’t nearly as historic as their rivalry with the Celtics, it exists, even if it’s only because they share a city and arena.
Rondo will have his options in free agency if he declines his player option with the Lakers, but according to a report from Frank Isola, Rondo is hoping to sign with the Clippers, who are reportedly in the market for a new point guard for Kawhi Leonard:
Rajon Rondo is expected to receive a significant offer from the Atlanta Hawks ($15 million for two years guaranteed) but according to a source, Rondo remains focused on potentially joining the Clippers. He could possibly get the mid-level from LAC.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) November 17, 2020
The phrasing of the tweet makes it sound like the the Atlanta Hawks are preparing to offer Rondo a two-year, $30 million contract, but that has to be a mistake, right? Like, there’s no way that Rondo is getting an offer that big just because of his playoff run, right? Right?!
Regardless, it’s becoming clearer by the day why the Lakers decided to trade for Schröder. Rondo wants to be paid handsomely, and at his age, that’s the right call. But with only a handful of avenues to improve their roster this summer outside of trades, the Lakers couldn’t afford to invest more than the veteran’s minimum in a point guard that can only be counted on in the postseason.
Although nothing has been finalized yet, it certainly seems like Rondo’s time with the Lakers is over.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.