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Veteran guard Rajon Rondo will decline his player option with the Los Angeles Lakers to enter the free agency market. Several teams are expected to attempt to lure in the two-time champion, including the Los Angeles Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks.
Per Brad Turner, Rondo will decline his $2.6M option to test the waters in free agency.
Sources: Rajon Rondo is expected to decline his player option for $2.6 million with the Lakers to become a free agent. Rondo will have teams after him, including the Clippers and Atlanta Hawks.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) November 16, 2020
While Lakers fans would love to retain Rondo, analysts highly-expected the 34-year-old to leave the Purple and Gold to test free agency. After all, the Lakers signed him to just a two-year, $5.1 million deal in 2019 (with a player option in the second year). Since he was a pivotal part of the Lakers' title run, Rondo's stock received a boost. Analysts believe that he's looking to get a good deal from other teams given his new and improved resume.
The Lakers front office, too, anticipated the veteran's desire to leave. This was a main consideration for why they set up a deal to acquire Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Schroder has a very different style from Rondo, the Purple and Gold needed a solid guard to bolster their title defense in the 2020-21 season.
The Hawks seem to be looking for a veteran to guide their young core of Trae Young, John Collins, De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, among others. Rondo seems the perfect mentor for Young, who's proven himself a bona fide star in this league.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are looking for that missing piece to the championship puzzle. Their recent playoff run was nothing but horrendous. And they believe that Rajon Rondo will turn things around for them.
