Ugh.
Just when you think Rajon Rondo trade rumors are dead for the time being, they’re revived, but not really. Consider what follows to be a lesson in recycling.
T-Spence, a sports radio host, tweeted this:
Source: Sacramento Kings/Boston Celtics deal now at "80 percent" to be completed before season. Deal includes McLemore, Williams for Rondo
— T-Spence (@tspence26) August 17, 2014
It created some buzz, but not much. BasketballInsiders.com picked it up…I think:
Source: Rondo to Kings Deal Nearly Done: Source: Sacramento Kings/Boston Celtics deal now at “80 percent” to b… http://t.co/qwrlBxbc0M
— Basketball Insiders (@BBallInsiders) August 18, 2014
Don’t bother clicking on the link. It’s dead. And I say “I think,” only because I didn’t read the initial article. I’m just assuming T-Spence was their source since it fits so nicely.
Anyhow, whatever report Basketball Insiders picked up, they later went on to refute it themselves:
Sources close to the process in both Boston and Sacramento are adamantly denying that a Rajon Rondo deal is being discussed.
— Basketball Insiders (@BBallInsiders) August 18, 2014
So, yeah, all that hype for nothing. Absolutely nothing—other than a reminder that there’s nothing to see here, and that Twitter can be weird and misleading and make for headaches.
I don’t personally know T-Spence. But it’s rare that someone like him, of relative sports-reporting obscurity, breaks a story like this. He’s probably a diligent worker and a pretty darn good radio host, but he isn’t Adrian Wojnarowski or Marc Stein or Sam Amick or Zach Lowe or anyone like that. Always be wary of reports coming from people who aren’t the typical big whigs that aren’t, you know, also endorsed by the typical big whigs.
Stuff like this happens a lot, and most fans—casual or die hard—are now intrinsically skeptic of anything they hear, no matter who it comes from. But it’s weird that Basketball Insiders would entertain running it, only to debunk it. Was that the point? What was the point?
This is old stuff. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports first reported this bit of intel back in a February edition of his NBA Power Rankings. Pieces of additional information have trickled out since then, but nothing that ever suggested the Boston Celtics and Kings were close to an agreement.
And there’s no reason to believe they will be anytime soon. Rondo is on an expiring contract. If the Kings are going to give up top-flight assets like Ben McLemore and draft picks, among other things, they’ll want assurances from Rondo that he plans to return. Will he offer such promises? Probably not.
Passing on the opportunity to explore free agency for a team that’s been stuck in the throes of rebuilding for years isn’t a shrewd move. Not if Rondo wants to win. Not when this could be the last big contract of his career.
This, though, assumes the Kings are still interested or that talks have, at some point, moved past obligatory pleasantries. And we don’t know if they have. Not now.
Most certainly not after all this.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
