16-year veteran point guard Rajon Rondo will officially retire from the NBA after not playing in the league since the 2021-22 season, according to multiple reports. The two-time champion with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers finished his career averaging 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists, and was named a four-time All-Star and a four-time All-Defensive Player.
The Dallas Mavericks are one of nine teams Rondo played for during his career, but don't expect to see a heartfelt farewell post about Rondo on social media anytime soon.
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In 2014-15, the Mavs had one of the best offenses in the NBA with a starting lineup featuring Jameer Nelson, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler. Dallas was the No. 3 seed in the West with a record of 19 wins and 8 losses, but decided to trade Rondo due to concerns about the team's defense.
While it may seem like things went well on the surface considering the Mavs finished the season with a 50-32 record, Rondo's clash with former head coach Rick Carlisle led to Dallas' 2015 In the first playoff game, they suffered a crushing defeat against the Houston Rockets. Not only did the Mavs have to give up draft capital to acquire Rondo, who left in free agency seven months later, but his failed trade ruined one of Nowitzki's later seasons.
Some will argue that Carlisle could have done better to make things work with Rondo during his short time in Dallas, and that's probably true. But the fact that Mavs players that year voted not to receive a portion of Rondo's playoff earnings tells you all you need to know about what situation the former star point guard's head was in. It tells a story.
”[Trading for Rondo] It was definitely worth pulling the trigger on,” former Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson said in his exit interview for the 2014-15 season. “In our opinion, that was kind of the missing piece. Certainly, at 28 years old, with a lot of honors and championship experience, who is also good on defense, we have a pass-first point guard and We have a history of doing well.
“Sometimes you put things down on paper and they look great and you feel great when you put them in the oven. And then when it's done, sometimes it works, and often it doesn't. That's one of those things. “In our estimation, it certainly wasn't risk-free, but it was certainly worth the risk. If we had to start over, we would have pulled the trigger again. .”
But everything worked out in the end, as the Rondo trade also brought in franchise pillar Dwight Powell. He is currently the longest-tenured Maverick on the roster. Powell's physical limitations make him a flawed player, but he has arguably the best locker room culture in Mavs history, and that should help, right?
At the very least, it's easier for Mavs fans to truly appreciate Powell for who he is now that the team has Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II filling out the center rotation.
