After Rajon Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks earlier in the season, the former All-Star point guard was seen as the piece that could turn the franchise into legitimate championship contenders. However, Rondo’s season came to an end due to a back injury in the NBA Playoffs and head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged he didn’t expect the point guard to return.
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With numerous reports surrounding Rondo and the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon shared that both parties made a mutual decision to part ways and used the back injury as a favor to try to help him save face:
The Mavs and Rondo made a mutual decision to part ways the next day, sources told ESPNDallas.com, framing the reasoning as a back injury as a favor to try to help the four-time All-Star point guard save face.
As a result of the mutual deision, Rondo did not receive a playoff share from the Mavericks according to Mavs Blog’s Eddie Sefko:
Multiple sources: Rajon Rondo did not receive a playoff share from the Dallas Mavericks.
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) April 29, 2015
With numerous offensive weapons, Rondo’s reputation as a playmaker was seen as the missing piece for a deep playoff run. While Rondo struggled in the regular season, he has been known as a big-time player in the playoffs and there was hope he could turn it around. Unfortunately, Rondo struggled against the Houston Rockets in the first round.
Heading into the off-season, the Lakers will have ample cap space and look to rebuild themselves into champions. While the Lakers have been linked with Rondo, the latest report has the franchise interested in signing the point guard ‘at a certain low price.’
[divide]Byron Scott Assessing Jordan Clarkson Vs. Rajon Rondo Matchup
