If it were up to Kendrick Perkins, prospective free agent Rajon Rondo would remain with the Boston Celtics for the long-haul. The Oklahoma City Thunder big man even says he could even envision joining his former teammate in Bean Town.
Before the Celtics suffered a double-digit home loss to the short-handed Thunder last night, Perkins was asked if Rondo should sign with Boston this summer. The Thunder center, a close friend of Rondo’s dating back to their days as fixtures of the Celtics’ mid-2000s youth movement and starters on the 2008 title team, gave a forthright response that hinted at his future, too.
Via A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet:
“He should. He should,” said the Oklahoma City Thunder center and former Celtic who is one of Rondo’s best friends. “I think it’s a great place for him. I think he wants to stay here. We talk on a regular. I think he should stay. If I was him, I’d stay.”
Perkins, who was traded to Oklahoma City in 2011 in a deal that netted Boston Jeff Green, also wouldn’t rule out a return to the team that drafted him out of high school in 2003.
“If the opportunity presented itself, I would,” Perkins said. “But you never know. It’s not on me. I have to be wanted, to come back…”
“I think it’s a perfect situation for him,” Perkins said. “He’s got a good group of guys around him. Good young coach. It’s his team… I think he wants to stay. I think he should.”
Rondo has been the subject of trade rumors for over a year running and is playing the last season of his current contract. Though conflicting reports have emerged from both player and team’s camp about his future in Boston, the most recent one suggests that Rondo will receive a max-level contract from the Celtics this summer.
Considering the surprising early season success of Brad Stevens’ team, that possibility seems more likely than ever. Though Boston is 3-4 after Wednesday’s disheartening loss to Oklahoma City, it’s been far better offensively than most anticipated coming into the season. The Celtics rank sixth in overall offensive efficiency and first in assist rate, statistics that reflect Rondo’s supreme influence as playmaker.
Stevens is firmly establishing himself as one of the league’s brightest coaches, and Rondo is playing arguably the best basketball of his career. Boston is headed the right direction – the next step is improving talent via internal growth and offseason additions, and the Celtics have ample reason to believe they’ll be able to do so via both avenues over the next year. This is a better situation for Rondo than it seemed even last month, basically.
Perkins’ return to the team is a far different story. His days with the Thunder appear numbered after Steven Adams supplanted him as the team’s starting center in advance of coming free agency. Perk simply makes little sense for a team on the upswing like Boston. He seems destined to sign with a contender or pseudo-contender in the West that needs needs a body to bang with Dwight Howard, or perhaps a similar team in the Eastern Conference that needs a warm body off the bench.
A reunion with the Celtics, then, seems unlikely. But given Perkins’ opinion that Rondo would prefer to stay in Boston and the team’s play so far this, there’s more reason than ever to think that will indeed be the outcome of this seemingly never-ending saga.
Do you think Rondo will re-sign with Boston?
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