Los Angeles Lakers Interested In Retaining Rajon Rondo

The Los Angeles Lakers lack guards at the moment. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, Moritz Wagner and Isaac Bonga are the only players with guaranteed contracts. The team will have to build the backcourt for the upcoming season, and that’s when Rajon Rondo steps in.

Brad Turner appeared on ESPN Radio LA on Monday, and talked about the possibility of retaining Rondo. The veteran has great experience playing alongside King James and Davis, and brings great leadership to the floor.

Davis and LeBron won’t need this leadership, and let’s not forget that Rondo was involved in an incident with an opponent in October. He even left the bench to sit alone in a courtside seat in March. Many young Lakers looked up to Rondo in the locker room, and many of them are now part of the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Lakers need players who shoot three-pointers and play well on defense. Is Rondo a necessity for the team? He is a 31.5 percent shooter from  behind the arc. ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus ranked the veteran as the 79^th best defender at point guard last season out of 102 qualifying players. NBA.com’s Defensive Win Shares put him on the 330^th spot.

Last season, the Lakers allowed 112.8 points per 100 possessions. That is pretty much the same total as the No. 27 ranked defense in basketball. That’s what the Washington Wizards allowed over the full season. When Rondo sat, the Lakers allowed 105.4 points per 100 possessions. We all know what that means.

We all know that Rondo does have the respect of the best players on the roster. But, he can’t offer a lot for the team. His presence was destructive on and off the floor. According to experts, the Lakers shouldn’t even consider him an option. Signing Rondo back for the price he will ask will be nothing but a waste of cap space. The Lakers need enough cap space to sign another All-Star.

The Lakers will probably check out other options before going back to Rondo. Seth Curry, Patrick Beverley, George Hill and Darren Collison are also an option. Let’s see what happens this summer.