A Royal Roundtable: Should The Kings Resign Rajon Rondo?

A Royal Pain is back with it’s Royal Roundtable Discussion. If you are new to the site or need a refresher, these articles start off with a topic that pertains with the Sacramento Kings.

The members of A Royal Pain then give their insights on the topic and can choose to debate with other members throughout the discussion. So without wasting any more time here is the topic that was selected for this discussion and the answers that were given by the ARP squad.

Topic: With the Sacramento Kings most likely not making the playoffs this season, major decisions are likely to be made within the roster of the team. One particular player that will create headlines this offseason is point guard Rajon Rondo, as he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

So, if you were running the front office of the Sacramento Kings, would you want Rondo to come back to the kingdom? And if you do, how much and how long will you be willing to offer for him to sign with the Kings?

Rafe (@rafnation): If I were the Kings I would definitely try to bring Rondo back with the Kings, but it is a tricky situation to deal with. Right now Rondo is having a rejuvenated season, and might be looking to earn a major payday during free agency. Maybe even a max deal.

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I do not believe that Rondo is a max player, but he definitely deserves to get paid. I would offer him a contract similar to Chandler Parsons, which is a three-year deal worth around 46 million.

With the salary cap rising next offseason, this deal doesn’t sound bad at all. It is worth a lot more than what Rondo is originally earning this season and with Rondo being 30 years of age isn’t too much a risk for the Kings to take in terms of duration.

Spencer (@DE_Ault): Rajon Rondo will be one of the top point guards available as a free agent this offseason, but that’s more of an indictment of the point guard market than it is an endorsement of Rondo. I agree with Rafe that the Kings should work to resign Rondo, if only because there isn’t a better option available. Mike Conley is probably heading back to Memphis, and he’s really the only potential free agent that would be an upgrade.

Of course, if any one of the several PG-needy teams (Knicks, Bucks, Rockets, Jazz) take a look at the shallow market and decide that Rondo is worth the max, then the Kings have to let him walk.

Ideally, Sacramento would bring Rondo back on a three or four-year deal in the $12-16 million range, a fair value given the skyrocketing salary cap. Any higher than that and the Kings should fall back to Darren Collison as the starting point guard, and maybe grab a guy like Kris Dunn of Providence in the draft.

Hunter (@ht_robinson): Why wouldn’t you want him to come back to the Kings? He is playing a great season of basketball and he has the most chemistry we have seen a player have with DeMarcus Cousins.

February 19, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo (9) shoots the basketball during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings defeated the Nuggets 116-110. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Do questions start to arise though when it comes to how much does he want to change, because if you change too much he might not want to come back?

Rondo seems to like George Karl, but are you willing to fire Karl if that means a veteran point guard like Rondo won’t even look at coming back? I think the Kings have a lot of things they have to weigh in when it comes to bringing back Rondo.

The next big question is how much money do you offer him? He has had a great season thus far and his veteran presence has preserved some wins for the team this season. On the other hand, he is 30 years old, and he is going to be looking for a final pay-day.

The Kings also can’t forget that they have a capable point guard in Darren Collison who is younger than Rondo and who shoots better than Rondo.

When it is all said and done the Kings should offer him a 4-year deal, so that he feels like he is safely in Sacramento for the long term and offer him around the range of $16 million a year. This contract will give him a decent amount of money to end his productive basketball career on and he will also be with a team that has possibly the best center in the league and a young nucleus that is a shooting guard and bench player away from being a playoff team in the near future.

One last thing, by bringing Rondo back the Kings will have the point guard position locked down for the future and it will also give them a higher chance of resigning Cousins when the time comes because of Rondo’s relationship with him.

Gabe (@Gabecal): If I were in the Kings front office, I too would want to try to keep him. Probably the second best point guard in free agency this upcoming offseason. But I would draw a line at a certain price, and I would not go over it. This is because he will be looking for a max deal and he might even score one.

I just don’t want the Kings to be that team. His stats will decline next year, guaranteed, and he will then probably plateau and slowly decline the next 5 years. So I want to give Rondo his deserved money, but I would also cut him loose if another team gives him more.

But I am in no position to guess what the new salary cap is going to entail. A lot of players are going to get paid next offseason. Too many will be overpaid, and I don’t want the Kings to be one of those teams leaking money on overestimated talent. I’d take a “wait and see strategy” to see how other teams react to all that craziness.

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But for next year, I’d say, a three-year/36 million deal for Rondo. I forsee a problem, though. I think Rondo will accept less than max money from a team, only if that team offers 4 or more years on a contract. And if I was in charge, I am not signing him to 4 or more years.

So if I was in The Kings front office, I would try to keep Rondo. But I would probably lose him to a team that offered more money, more years, or both. I would then try and snag one of the other free agent point guards. A big contract for Mike Conley. A reasonable contract for Jordan Clarkson or Brandon Jennings. Hell, I’d even try for Ish Smith or Matthew Dellavedova.

Rafe (@rafnation): I agree that 3yrs/36 million is a good deal for the Kings if Rondo were to accept, but the unfortunate reality for NBA front offices are that they will overpay for players in free agency. It’s just the nature of it, so I think the Kings will have to overpay Rondo for him to stay in Sacramento. Hopefully, it is not for too much.

I do agree that 3 years is a reasonable duration for the contract on both sides. With Rondo just turning 30 years of age, his game is going to decline throughout his contract, so I am fine with three years.

Next: Game 63 Notes: Kings Can't Keep Up With Cavs

My perspective will change however depending what the coaching situation is for the next upcoming seasons. Remember, Karl has given Rondo the freedom to do almost anything he wants on the court. So my contract offer for Rondo (3yrs/46 million) is knowing that the Kings have a head coach, whether its Karl or someone similar to Karl, that will be giving Rondo the freedom that he probably will take more of over dollars.

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