With the future of Rajon Rondo hanging in the balance, the Boston Celtics must make a quick decision on this situation. While locking up a supreme passer in Rondo won't hurt the rebuilding program at all, it appears the best interest for both parties is a trade.
The question now is who's willing enough to send a package of young players and precious draft picks for Rondo? Apparently, there are many ball clubs interested, but only few have the tools to make it happen, one of them is the title-hungry Oklahoma City Thunder.
Why Trade These Players?
The Thunder is a franchise of the stability for the last 3 or 4 years, having reached the Western Conference finals thrice in the last four years. As everybody knows, the tandem of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has been a lethal combination of skills, scoring prowess and sheer athleticism.
Aside from their dynamic duo, the Thunder is coached by one of the bright minds in the game in Scott Brook. It also has a defensive stud in Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins, while Jeremy Lamb and Reggie Jackson continue to emerge as very solid contributors off the bench.
Heading into the next season, Oklahoma City is expected to stay in the thick of the title race. They are going to win 50 games and march deep into the Western Conference playoffs. Then again, do they have enough to go all the way to the championship? The straightforward answer should be No!
Yes, the Thunder is supremely talented offensive team with two top-5 NBA players leading the charge. However, let's not forget that playing defense is the only way to win the gold.
Look at the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat, the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. Champions of the last five years and these teams are superb defensive squads.
Of course, the Thunder was 12th in the league in points allowed per game (99.8) last year and 7th in rebounding (44.7). However, there's still a void they need to fill up, and boy, it's very easy to tell. It's their perimeter defense at the point guard spot.
Westbrook, with all his explosiveness and incredible scoring talent, is not an elite defender. He might average 1.9 steals per game last season and 1.6 throughout his career, but he's not that good in locking up his man.
In last season's playoffs, Westbrook's defensive lapses were exposed by Mike Conley, Chris Paul and Tony Parker (especially in Game 2 of Western Conference finals where TP shot 59 percent from the field).
Some fans may label this idea as plain foolishness. Nevertheless, the Thunder need to really part ways with Westbrook now, if they want to get over the hump. And who's going to be the next PG? It's Rondo.
Rondo, who averaged 11.7 points and 9.8 rebounds, is not only a passing wizard, he's lockdown feisty defender who doesn't know how to back down. While his attitude is sometimes volatile, the intensity he puts in on both ends of the floor every night along with his veteran savvy and 'unselfishness' are simply astonishing. That's solid enough to say he's an upgrade for Westbrook, whose questionable plays put the Thunder in tough situations a number of times.
As for the Celtics, this trade would give them a star in exchange for trading another star with expiring contract. Marcus Smart is a helluva of a prospect, thought it seems it takes time to reach his full potential. Another thing is he's not a natural PG. He's another hybrid guard just as Westbrook who wants to put the ball all the way to the rack than dishing it to his teammates first, though it's intriguing how much extent of a damage the two could give to opposing team as a combo in the Celtics' backcourt (ala Phoenix Suns with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic tandem).
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