Los Angeles Lakers
Rajon Rondo was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons in 2018-19 and was a part of the 2019-20 Lakers team that won a championship. In his two years with Los Angeles, Rondo averaged 8.1 points, 6.5 assists and shot 34.5% from three-point range, making him a key bench player in their backcourt.
When Alex Caruso emerged as a key backcourt talent, the Lakers decided they did not need Rondo anymore, which is why they opted not to bring him back. With Caruso now in Chicago though and Dennis Schroder signing with the Celtics, the Lakers have a need for another veteran backcourt talent, even though they brought in Kendrick Nunn this offseason.
Signing Rondo to another minimum contract after potentially being bought out would be another great move made by the Lakers this offseason and give them a plethora of experienced, championship-level talents. Los Angeles also brought in the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard and others this offseason, so bringing in Rondo would just be the “icing on top of the cake” for them in terms of former All-Star talent.
With LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all healthy to begin the 2021-22 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have definitely cemented themselves as the “team to beat” in the Western Conference, but they still have some roster spots to fill out. Not many options are available anymore that are key contributors, which is why Rondo would be their best option to sign should he be bought out of his contract in Memphis.
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Rajon Rondo already has a relationship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and he has the ability to still impact the game off-the-bench, which is why the Lakers should want to pursue him on a minimum-like deal.