Rajon Rondo signs with Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Clippers traded both Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo to the Memphis Grizzlies early this offseason in a deal that was primarily used to free up cap space.

The Grizzlies, as expected, bought Rondo out of his contract as their young team wasn’t the ideal destination for the point guard in the latter years of his career. He was then made an unrestricted free agent able to sign with the team of his choice.

As expected, the 15-year veteran has officially signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rondo has already been around the Lakers culture and knows how to play alongside both Anthony Davis and LeBron James, as they all teamed up to win the 2020 NBA Finals in the Orlando Bubble. That feature is important as some players take time to adjust to playing more of a complementary role.

Rondo’s aptitude defensively is also ideal for his role. The 6-foot-1 point guard has made an All-Defensive team four times. He’s also been an NBA champion twice, so the value for him as a key role player for any contender is clear.

Along those lines, Rondo will be backing up Russell Westbrook. There’s still little understanding of how the dynamic with Westbrook, James, and Davis will work, but having a player like Rondo there to help facilitate the offense can only help.

In the aging of his game, Rondo has also developed a capable three-point shot. He averaged two triples per game last season and shot over 40 percent from deep, an elite rate for any player.

Rondo should fit without any issue in Los Angeles as they look to make a championship push after a disappointing 2020-2021 season.

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