Rajon Rondo might have been eating breakfast with Kobe Bryant this week if the Los Angeles Lakers had been willing to part ways with their top draft pick.
The Lakers and Boston Celtics “had mutual interest” in a potential trade involving Rondo, a source told Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears, but the Celtics wanted Kentucky product Julius Randle included in the package. L.A. refused to part ways with the injured rookie, per Spears’ source, and Rondo ultimately ended up in Dallas.
The fact that Mitch Kupchak wasn’t about to let go of Randle isn’t surprising. The seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft won’t see the court until Fall 2015 at the earliest — Randle broke his leg in the Lakers’ regular-season opener and is expected to miss the rest of the season — but he’s by far the most promising prospect on an otherwise underwhelming roster.
The Lakers reportedly offered the Celtics Steve Nash and “multiple draft picks” in exchange for Rondo, to which the C’s likely responded by laughing in their face.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vazquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
