Does Rajon Rondo make sense for the Sacramento Kings?

NBA Free Agency starts tonight at midnight eastern. Presumably many free agents have lined up where they will be visiting and potentially even know where they will be signing. Rajon Rondo is a player that has been linked to the Sacramento Kings.

CBS Sports talked about the possibility of the Kings trading Rudy Gay away to make room for Rondo. What could Rondo bring to the Kings, if they do sign him in free agency?

Rajon Rondo is a very talented player that was a big part of the Boston Celtics 2008 NBA Championship and 2010 NBA Finals appearances. He was arguably the best player on the floor in 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals. He showed what his best looked like, which was impressive 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the series, he averaged 20.7 points, 11.8 assists, and 6.3 rebounds. Rondo was able to help the Celtics return to the playoffs each of the next two seasons, but wasn’t able to get his team past the Heat.

While Rondo proved he could perform while the lights were brightest, there is a ton of baggage that comes with him even in times of winning. Rondo had issues with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen during his time in Boston. Three guys who are Hall of Fame caliber players, whose extensive resumes demand respect. A young player who continues to have issues with veterans, would be huge red flag. It got so bad in 2013, that coach Doc Rivers, reportedly tried to fight Rondo, during a team meeting. It helped in part, to the eventual departure of Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rondo’s play suffered at the end of his run with the Celtics. The end of his run did include a torn ACL, which he has seemingly never recovered from. The guard even admitted, he “hasn’t played defense in a couple years.”

Even at his peak, the defense Rondo would provide was more flash than anything of substance. He had a knack for getting in the passing lane and making impressive steals. Unfortunately it would come at the cost of being out of position on defense and losing track of his defensive responsibility. When Garnett was behind him to make up for his overplay, it wasn’t a huge problem. The same could not be said when others were behind him.

Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 105-87. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Some believed the lack of effort would be improved by a change in scenery. The Dallas Mavericks believed they could get the point guard back on track if they brought him into their locker room. A team that was rolling through the Western Conference prior to adding Rondo, thought he could be the missing piece. However, the addition only hurt the Mavericks. It got so bad that the Mavericks basically shut down Rondo with a “back injury” after he essentially quit on the team. He didn’t receive his playoff bonus from the Mavericks either.

Let’s assume George Karl or whoever is coaching the Kings can work some voodoo magic on Rondo, which seems highly unlikely at this point, but someone will convince themselves, he can be “fixed.” What could a focused Rondo bring to the Sacramento Kings?

On offense he can be a dynamic guard with the ball in his hand. He has elite court vision and puts his teammates in places to be successful. However, he can’t shoot. He is a career 47% shooter, with a majority of that coming from layups. His three point percentage is a measly 26% and 60% free throw shooter. For a quick comparison, lets look at Rondo’s numbers compared to current starter Darren Collison.

Is Rondo even an upgrade over Collison? It seems like they do about the same thing with Collison being much more efficient, providing three point shooting and having a very team friendly deal. That doesn’t even take into account the issues he can and likely will cause in the locker room. Or the fact that Rondo is approaching 30 has had injury issues. Rondo hasn’t played more than 70 games since 2009-2010 season. If the Kings do envision Rondo playing alongside Collison as Broussard reports, the lack of shooting in pace and space offense would be even worse than it has been. Rondo’s defender would constantly help on Cousins, Gay or whomever had the ball.

It seems like money and resources could be better spent, especially if they would have to move Rudy Gay to make the deal happen.