Doc Rivers: Rajon Rondo ‘Didn’t Know What He Wanted’ Before Trade

Few men know the inner workings of Rajon Rondo’s brain quite like Doc Rivers does.

The former Boston Celtics coach witnessed firsthand Rondo’s ascent from temperamental rookie to bona fide superstar. Though he now coaches the Los Angeles Clippers, Rivers said he spoke with Rondo roughly two weeks before the Celtics traded the point guard to the Dallas Mavericks.

As the coach tells it, the thought of leaving Boston was wearing on Rondo.

“I know for a fact that Rondo was torn,” Rivers said, via the Boston Herald. “When we talked, he was completely torn. He wanted to be a Celtic for life. But he didn’t see any more titles coming if he stayed. He’s very happy now to go to a great situation. But at the time we talked, he didn’t know what he wanted.

“It was just a tough, tough call.”

That tough call might make Rivers’ life a bit more difficult over the next few months. The trade sent Rondo to an already stacked Mavericks team that aims to challenge the Western Conference elite’s — a group that includes Rivers’ Clippers.

Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images