Report: Knicks Hoping To Pry Rondo Away From Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) -- He hasn't yet taken the court this season, but Rajon Rondo continues to generate a steady buzz in trade rumors around the league.
The most recent rumor doesn't even involve anything the Celtics want to do, but rather the dream of the team that occupies Madison Square Garden.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the New York Knicks' plans to build around Carmelo Anthony include an effort to try to entice Rondo to demand a trade to New York.
"The Knicks are hoping Rondo will be interested in making a maneuver similar to what Anthony did back in 2011 and eventually try to force a trade to the Knicks," according to Windhorst. "The Celtics have consistently denied they want to trade Rondo. But once this trade deadline passes, and it isn't clear if he will even play before February, Rondo will have only one guaranteed season left on his contract. Like with Anthony when he applied pressure to the Denver Nuggets by threatening to leave in free agency, the Knicks wonder if Rondo will be able to have a say in where he might be traded if the Celtics end up fearful he'll leave in free agency."
If such a scenario doesn't end up happening for the Knicks, Windhorst said the team will try to sign the point guard when his current contract expires following the 2014-15 season.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has repeatedly shot down rumors surrounding Rondo, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January. Recently, Rondo was rumored to be at the center of trade talks between the Celtics and Kings, though that chatter dissipated quickly.
