Report: Lakers Trying To Sign Rajon Rondo
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's not often that a one-time Celtics captain ends up donning the purple and gold in Los Angeles, but Rajon Rondo may be making that jump this summer.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers are in pursuit of Rondo.
Rondo met with Magic Johnson on Tuesday, and the Lakers remain interested even after signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Rondo signed a two-year deal worth $28 million with Chicago last summer, but the Bulls released him on June 30 of this year after averaging under eight points and under seven assists per game.
He saved face during the playoffs, when he averaged 11.5 points, 10 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game in two wins over the Celtics to begin the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. However, he suffered a broken thumb and was forced to watch as the Celtics came back to win four straight games to eliminate the Bulls.
Rondo, now 31, was drafted by the Celtics (via Phoenix) in 2006. He won a title with the Celtics in the 2007-08 season, and following the departures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Rondo became the team's captain in 2014. (The announcement of his captaincy was made prior to a game in Boston against the Lakers.)
In December of 2014, the Celtics traded Rondo to Dallas, where he clashed with head coach Rick Carlisle and ended up getting himself essentially kicked off the team. Rondo then signed a one-year deal with Sacramento, where he led the league with 11.7 assists per game, before joining Chicago last year.
If Rondo does end up with the Lakers, he'd join a short list of players who were members of both the Celtics and Lakers in their careers. That list includes Shaquille O'Neal, Don Nelson, Rick Fox, and a handful of others.
