Why the Lakers did a terrific job in holding back on what could have been a wasteful deal on the star point guard
Earlier in the week, multiple media outlets stated that the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics were in discussions for a potential trade involving star point guard Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics’ asking price was simple, they wanted injured rookie Julius Randle.
Randle, who is out for the season after suffering broken tibia on opening night against the Houston Rockets, is still a hot commodity based on his amazing upside and skill. It was reported last week that Randle is currently off the crutches and is already doing leg presses. While he appears to be getting healthy, the Lakers will certainly not rush him back.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today, the Lakers were hoping to deal Steve Nash, Jordan Hill and one or more draft picks for Rondo and Jeff Green. This deal would’ve surely been a steal for the Lakers as they would have landed a star point guard and a streaky, but dangerous scoring forward.
Green would have certainly fill some voids for the Lakers, as he can play small forward and power forward.
Green leads the Celtics in scoring at 19.2 PPG. The deal would’ve made sense for the Celtics as well, as the Lakers would’ve given them a promising player Hill and a first round pick with Nash tied in as a salary dump.
Now that Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, why were the Lakers smart in not pulling the trigger for Rondo?
With Rondo becoming a free agent at the end of the season, it is still possible for the Lakers to land Rondo or another point guard with the amount of money they’ll have available in the offseason. It wouldn’t make sense to trade a top 10 pick (Randle) for a player that can potentially be a half season rental in what’s considered a lost season anyway.
Another reason the trade wouldn’t have made sense is because Rondo won’t necessarily solve the issues the Lakers have on 
defense. Rondo is one of the better perimeter defenders, but a lot of the Lakers defensive problems come down low, as their
only good rim protector is Ed Davis.
Getting Rondo would have certainly helped take the pressure off Kobe Bryant, as he would have been the most talented point guard Los Angeles has had since Magic.
The Lakers made the right decision in not dealing their talented rookie, who knows maybe the Lakers will have both players next season.
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