Done deal: Lakers report signing of Darius Garland for $85 Million’s from Cleveland Cavaliers… Read more…
The Cleveland Cavaliers have turned to the trade market to help replace point guard Ricky Rubio, who suffered a torn ACL earlier this week that will end his season. On Friday, the Cavaliers agreed to acquire veteran point guard Rajon Rondo from the Los Angeles Lakers to fill their void at the position.
Now that Rondo has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the deal can be completed — with the addition of a third team — and he gives the Cavaliers a veteran leader at the point. Previously, Cleveland had been down to just Darius Garland (also subject to protocols) and rookie Kevin Pangos at the position. Pangos, a EuroLeague veteran, had played 82 minutes all season before starting the team’s last three games, two of them losses.
In his second tour of duty with the Lakers, whom he helped win the NBA championship in the bubble, Rondo had seen sporadic action as a backup point guard.
Can Rondo still help the Cavaliers at age 35? (He’ll turn 36 in February.) And how might the Lakers use the extra roster spot created in this trade? Let’s take a look.
It’s telling that the Lakers moved on from Rondo so quickly, making them the second team to cut bait on him midseason in as many years. (The Atlanta Hawks, who signed Rondo in 2020 free agency, dealt him at last season’s trade deadline.)
In between, Rondo did give the Clippers a lift over the final 1 1/2 months of the 2020-21 regular season. He made 58% of his 2-point attempts and 43% of his 3s for the Clippers, solidifying their point guard spot behind starter Reggie Jackson.
Alas, that kind of shooting didn’t carry over to the playoffs, when Rondo found himself out of the rotation for much of the Clippers’ pair of comebacks. He played just 17 minutes over their last two wins over the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and 15 total after Game 1 against the Utah Jazz. Again, Rondo was benched during the conference finals, not seeing any action over the Clippers’ last three games.
Despite giving up a second-round pick to get Rondo from the Hawks at the deadline, the Clippers moved him this summer as part of a deal to add Eric Bledsoe. Bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies, Rondo landed back with the Lakers as part of their 2020 title reunion.
