NBA Free Agents Rumors: DeMarcus Cousins Won’t Let Rajon Rondo Go Next Summer
Rajon Rondo will become an unrestricted free agent next summer and is expected to get lucrative offers from several teams, but Sacramento Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins said that he will not allow him to leave.
Rondo, who signed a one-year deal worth $9.5 million with the Kings last summer, declined to talk about his future plans, but the All-Star playmaker said that anything can happen in the offseason.
"Anything is possible," Rondo told Yahoo Sports.
However, Cousins, who has enjoyed playing alongside Rondo this season, said that he expects Rondo to stay in Sacramento beyond the current season and he will do anything to make it happen.
"He ain't going nowhere. I will kidnap him myself," Cousins said of Rondo.
Rondo is coming off a disastrous year with the Dallas Mavericks, where he was traded last season after spending the first eight full seasons of his career with the Boston Celtics. The 29-year-old point guard was initially viewed as potential franchise player in Dallas, but the deal did not work out, as he was engaged in several altercations with teammates and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.
But after moving to Sacramento, Rondo is showing a glimpse of the playmaker who turned heads during his stint with the Celtics, where he won a championship and became a four-time NBA All-Star before sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee in January 2013.
In his first 20 games this season, Rondo averaged 12.5 points and 10.6 assists to go along with 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Aside from his contribution in terms of statistics, the veteran point guard is also guiding Cousins, who had previous issues with his behavior on and off the court.
"Cousins has never played with a vet that he respected," Rondo said. "I think I've got his attention a little bit. I think he respects what I say. He will do his own thing. I'm not trying to be his daddy. But I want to be his big brother like K.G. was to me, showing me the ropes and helping me along the way."
With his impressive performances and leadership this season, Rondo is expected to get a lot of attention next summer. A league executive told Sporting News that it will not be surprising if Rondo will get a lot of max offers in the offseason. In fact, even coach Carlisle said that he deserves a max deal based on the way he is playing this year.
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