Cleveland Cavaliers Begin Talks to Acquire LA Lakers' Rajon Rondo After Ricky Rubio's Early Season Exit
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Only a day after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost Ricky Rubio in a season-ending injury, the team is already setting eyes on another veteran guard in the person of LA Lakers' Rajon Rondo.
According to a tweet from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers are already making progress in a deal with the Lakers to acquire Rondo. Wojnarowski noted that the deal is set to be finalized "as soon as Friday."
Veteran Cavaliers point guard Ricky Rubio will be out for the rest of the NBA season due to a torn ACL to his left knee. According to analysts, Rondo would be a strong point guard for the Cavs and would help them in Rubio's absence.
Aside from Rubio, the Cleveland Cavaliers also recently lost their young star Collin Sexton in a meniscus tear injury early in November. Sexton is also expected to be out for the season.
But at the moment, Rondo is still under COVID-19 protocols set by the league. He was placed under the protocol just after his current teammates Malik Monk and Avery Bradley were allowed to play, Forbes reported.
Rajon Rondo's Season Performance
Rajon Rondo is currently playing his 16th season in the NBA. He has played 18 games this season and is averaging a career-low in points (3.1), assists (3.7), and rebounds (2.7).
Despite his low performance this season, Rondo has an outstanding NBA career. Throughout his 16 seasons, he has an average of 9.8 points, 8.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Rondo is also a two-time NBA champion and was a huge part of the Lakers' 2020 NBA Championship stint.
In 2020, Rondo recorded 105 total assists in the NBA playoffs, which has been the most assists by a bench player in the postseason since 1971. He also surpassed Manu Ginobli's 95 assists in the 2014 postseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers Want to Keep Their Momentum
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a great NBA season so far, surprising most of the league, and they are very interested in keeping this momentum going.
After losing Ricky Rubio, they search for a strong guard who can match Rubio's impact on their season.
If the deal pushes through, Rajon Rondo would have to fill in Rubio's shoes, who had a positive impact not only on their game but on his young teammates as well.
Acquiring Rajon Rondo
According to Sports Illustrated, to get Rajon Rondo, the Cleveland Cavaliers would need to absorb Rondo into a $4.2 million trade exception created during JaVale McGee's trade to the Nuggets.
However, the Cavs currently have 15 players on their roster. Thus, they would need to either trade one player to the Lakers for Rondo or waive someone.
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Written by: Jess Smith
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