It increasingly appears Rajon Rondo would be traded if the Boston Celtics fail in their pursuit of Kevin Love. At least one club looks to be preparing for that possibility.
The Sacramento Kings have had talks with the Detroit Pistons about acquiring forward Josh Smith in a trade, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein tweeted Tuesday, citing a source. One potential scenario would send Josh Thompson and Derrick Williams to Detroit in exchange for Smith, according to Stein.
Where do the Celtics come in? Well, the Kings have supposedly liked Rondo for some time, and he and Smith, both Oak Hill alums, happen to be good friends. With Rondo entering the final season of his contract, having Smith on the roster could be a selling point in convincing Rondo to go to Sacramento, either via trade or as a free agent.
The Kings have been extremely active in the trade market in the past year, taking on players whom other teams decided were irreparably flawed. They traded last November for Williams, a former No. 2 overall pick with a career 13.0 player efficiency rating, and added much-maligned scorer Rudy Gay in December.
Smith has averaged 15.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game over his career, but he posted a career-worst .463 true shooting percentage last season with the Pistons.
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