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Ever since a buyout was secured by veteran guard Rajon Rondo with the Memphis Grizzlies, the LA Lakers have emerged as clear leaders in the race to land their former backup point guard.
As corroborated via reports from Atheltics' Shams Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 2-time NBA Champion will clear waivers on Monday, upon which he is highly likely to sign a minimum deal with the LA Lakers in what would be a homecoming signing.
But even amidst the commotion of Rajon Rondo's expected poetic return to the LA Lakers, the value-addition through his presence on the stacked LA roster can still be questioned. He was part of the Lakers squad that conquered the Bubble and shot almost 40% from downtown in the playoffs en route to his 2nd championship ring.
Although his veteran backcourt IQ is an asset to any team he joins, his current potential position with the 2020 champs will be a bit too superfluous. On that note, let's take a look at three glaring reasons why LA Lakers could make a mistake by signing Rajon Rondo.
#1 The LA Lakers are not getting any younger by adding Rajon Rondo
The LA Lakers did not bring back Jared Dudley, who despite his meager scoring numbers was a key locker room presence. This revealed the front office's mindset of topping off a veteran-packed team with fresh legs.
Signing Rajon Rondo will only be driving them further away from their goal and only increasing the average age of the championship contending squad. Certainly, Rondo is not your average 35-year-old, but talent and athleticism is taking over the league quickly and the Lakers need to join the trend as well.
During his previous stint with the LA Lakers, Rajon Rondo averaged 7.1 points and 5 assists per game, while coming off the bench. Even with a slight increase in stats during his recent season with the Los Angeles Clippers, these are numbers that the Lakers can survive without.
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#2 The LA Lakers are stacked to the brim with veteran presence already
The LA Lakers went all out this offseason in their hunt for another NBA Championship. When it comes to the eventual Rajon Rondo signing, he will be joining a heavily stacked backcourt with incredible depth, courtesy of some major offseason moves by the Lakers front office.
With Russell Westbrook is expected to be their new starting point guard, Rondo will be fighting for minutes against Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker and Wayne Ellington.
It is glaringly apparent that the LA Lakers are not short of veteran presence or ball handlers. What they would be more focussed on is getting spot-up shooters around their marquee stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James. JJ Reddick might be on their radar, citing his shooting prowess and renowned professional work ethic.
All of the aforementioned tidbits make Rajon Rondo kind of a misfit with the current LA Lakers roster. And there's a high chance that he'll have to settle for a lesser role to begin the season with limited on-court time.
#3 Rajon Rondo's underwhelming Clippers campaign is a sign that can't be neglected
After being traded to the Atlanta Hawks this past year, Rajon Rondo was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers midway during the regular season. The 4-time NBA All-Star came off the bench in 18 games and averaged a mediocre 7.6 points and 5.8 dimes per game.
Not only this, his playoff numbers were even worse, leaving Ty Lue with a lack of options when his stars got injured deep into the postseason. These are all signs that Rajon Rondo's mythical playoff acumen is losing luster drastically.
And with LeBron's career fast approaching its twilight period, the LA Lakers need someone who can step up in crunch playoff minutes before the championship window closes on them.
