Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo shared some valuable insight on what he thinks went wrong with the Lakers this season. According to the 32-year-old, the fact that the team decided to hand out so many one-year deals had an adverse effect on the mindset of some of the players on the roster:
“If the organization doesn’t give a guy a multiyear deal, how much can that guy really invest in the team?” Rondo asks, via Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. “His thinking is: ‘You don’t really believe in me. You’re just trying to fill a void. I’m just a plug-in.’ You can say you’re playing for a contract; on mediocre teams, OK, but on championship-caliber teams, it doesn’t work that way. Guys aren’t willing to make sacrifices.”
This is definitely a valid point from Rondo here (Lakers superfan Flea agrees), and one that comes from the benefit of 13 years worth of NBA experience. The four-time All-Star guard is also speaking from his own personal experience, having himself been on a couple of single-season deals over the past few years.
Interestingly, Rondo signed with the Lakers last summer on a similar one-year contract, which means that what he is trying to describe here might actually be his own personal outlook in terms of his commitment to the Lakers.
It remains to be seen if the Purple & Gold intend to offer Rondo a new deal in the offseason, but with this statement here, it is obvious that the one-time NBA champ is not exactly a fan of short-term deals.
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