Bill Simmons is at it again with his Clairvoyant Bill thing. On Thursday, the ESPN NBA analyst and Grantland editor-in-chief made another brow-raising prediction about an earth-shaking deal between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics within the next four months of the regular-season.
During the Bill and Jalen's 2014-15 NBA Season preview of his beloved Boston Celtics, Simmons made a bold prediction in his goofy Clairvoyant Bill alter-ego that general manager Danny Ainge will eventually trade Rondo to the Knicks along with Gerald Wallace's expiring contract in exchange for Amar'e Stoudemire's expiring deal, Iman Shumpert, 2018 first-round pick and a pick swap.
"Clairvoyant Bill thinks Rondo gets traded to the Knicks the next four months," Simmons said during the show. "And here's the trade. Rondo, Gerald Wallace to the Knicks, Amare's expiring, Iman Shumpert, 2018 first-rounder and a pick swap that will be protected at some point within the next five years for the Celtics and Knicks pick.
Simmons, a hardcore Celtics fans, said he wants to keep Rondo in Boston as much as he could, but clearly the All-Star point guard doesn't deserve to play with a rebuilding team, and the Knicks appear to be a good fit for him playing alongside another star, Carmelo Anthony.
"I actually like the thought of Rondo and Carmelo together, I don't know why," Simmons said of Rondo and Melo partnership. "I think he would get him the ball in all the right spots. I think that would work."
The Rondo to Knicks trade scenario has long been floating around for the last two years, but the Celtics and Knickerbockers just couldn't work out a deal to make everybody happy.
Despite reports of Rondo's dissatisfaction of playing for a rebuilding unit with so many young players, Ainge stressed that his All-Star playmaker is untouchable from trades and he even plans to re-sign him long-term when his contract expires at the end of the season.
On the other hand, the Knicks are still looking to find another star to play alongside Melo in New York. With Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani's contract expiring, the Knicks are capable of signing a max player next summer, and certainly Rondo is one of their targets.
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