It looks like Rajon Rondo may not be headed to Texas after all.
Multiple news outlets reported Friday afternoon that the Dallas Mavericks have contacted the Celtics about possibly acquiring the All-Star point guard. Just hours later, NBA sources are reportedly shooting down that theory.
“The Celtics haven’t had any conversations with Dallas about Rondo,” one source told the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy. “That’s ridiculous. There’s no truth to it. What in the world does Dallas have to offer for Rondo?”
“They’re trying to rebuild around a 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki,” another league source told Murphy. “They have a lot of old expiring contracts, and that’s about it.”
The Mavs are one of the NBA’s older teams, with six players with more than 10 years of NBA experience currently on their roster. The reported motivation behind a possible deal for Rondo was to make one final championship push with 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, who is entering his 16th season, and to help draw disgruntled Lakers center Dwight Howard to Dallas.
Dallas used a draft-night trade to acquire University of Miami point guard Shane Larkin, whom the Celtics also reportedly showed interest in.
Rondo has averaged 11.1 points, 8.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game over his seven-year career. He has not played since tearing his ACL on Jan. 27.
