Rajon Rondo Free Agency: Lakers, Suns Headline Best Fits

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Rajon Rondo of the Los Angeles Lakers calls out a play.

One of the NBA’s savviest guards, Rajon Rondo brings a ton of value to the table despite his declining on-court play. A vocal leader with an incredible basketball IQ, Rondo almost serves more as a coach these days. That said, he still thrived distributing the basketball last season as he racked up 8 assists per game and has been known for turning up his play come playoff time.

Rondo has struggled to stay healthy over the past few years, as is often the case with older players, but the IQ, leadership, and the quasi-coach role he assumes usually make up for the understanding that he’s probably will only be good for 60 (ish) games a year.

Rajon Rondo Free Agency: Lakers Return Among Best Fits

While he may carry a heftier price tag than the Lakers are able to afford, Rondo could potentially be open to returning to the team on a veteran minimum contract given the situation. He seemed to enjoy his time in Los Angeles last season playing with LeBron James and has a proven history of playing alongside Anthony Davis. His familiarity and fit with both should go a long ways towards helping the team get off on the right foot.

Rondo’s veteran presence and IQ should be a highly sought after asset this offseason and while he very well may get better offers from other young teams flush with cap space, it isn’t out of the question to see him turn those down in order to finish what he helped start last season in Los Angeles.

Rajon Rondo Free Agency: Suns A Strong Fit As Well

Speaking of young teams with cap space, the Phoenix Suns fit that bill perfectly. In need of a starting caliber point guard who can consistently take the ballhandling duties out of Devin Booker‘s hands and instead set him up for buckets, Rondo is an ideal fit from that perspective. While Rondo isn’t as great defensively as he once was, he still has a brilliant defensive mind and his tutelage could go a long ways towards helping to develop a young Phoenix core.

Especially if the Lakers sign a max player and are handicapped to only a league minimum, the Suns could emerge as frontrunners for his services on the back of a stronger offer.