Because the Internet exists, there is such a thing as NBA trade rumor rankings. And because the Boston Celtics are a team in transition, they feature prominently on the list.
In fact, there are two such lists, and the Celtics are No. 1 on both. Rajon Rondo takes the top spot among players with 13 “rumors mentioned,” while the Celtics lead the way among teams with 26 “rumors mentioned,” according HoopsHype, a USA Today-owned basketball site.
The lists measure the amount of times players and teams came up in trade reports over the last two weeks. Rondo’s name just keeps popping up, despite Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s insistence that the All-Star point guard is not on the block. Along those same lines, Rondo laughed at suggestions that he will test free agency in 2015, when his current contract expires.
Rondo isn’t alone among Celtics players on HoopsHype’s list. Gerald Wallace and Jeff Green are Nos. 5 and 11, respectively, while former Boston benchwarmer MarShon Brooks is the only non-rotation NBA player on the list, tied with Wallace at No. 5.
It’s far from a scientific tally, but the list is a fun way to keep track of the many rumors flying around. Chances are Rondo and the Celtics will only cement their status in the 17 days remaining before the trade deadline. At least this gives the Celtics, currently fourth from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, one area in which they can boast, “We’re No. 1!”
