Lakers Coach Reacts To Rajon Rondo Trade With Cavs

Rajon Rondo, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA News
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The Los Angeles Lakers recently made a move that didn’t garner a ton of NBA headlines but could open things up for the team down the road. The team traded veteran point guard to the Cleveland Cavaliers, opening up a roster spot.

The Cavaliers backcourt has been hit hard by injuries, as Collin Sexton tore his meniscus earlier in the season and will miss the remainder of it. More recently, veteran Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and will also be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Needing a veteran to shore up the backcourt, the Cavaliers landed on Rajon Rondo. His second stint with the Lakers has not gone as well as the first one did when he helped the team win an NBA Championship in the Orlando Bubble in 2020.

Having as many veterans as they do, the Lakers thought the chance to open up some flexibility on the roster trumped what production Rondo could bring down the line. Head coach Frank Vogel explained the team’s thought process behind the move.

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“Obviously the ability to have flexibility with the roster spot for what we have coming forward, which is still unknown, I think Rob [Pelinka] just saw value in that,” Vogel said.

Given how frequently rosters have had to be adjusted this season because of positive COVID-19 tests, conventional wisdom would be that the Los Angeles Lakers want as many players around as possible. However, they took a bigger picture approach, as they know the benefits of having an open roster spot later in the season.

Los Angeles could save a few million dollars in luxury tax leaving the roster spot open. They can also be players in the buyout market now and have more flexibility when it comes to making trades as they can take on 2-for-1 deals.

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While Rondo wasn’t playing much, the team will miss him. His presence was important to the team, but the chance to get traded to a team in which he can play rotation minutes was something that appealed to him. Vogel had nothing but well wishes for him in Cleveland.

“Rondo means the world to me,” Vogel said. “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. He was an integral part of us winning the championship two years ago, me winning my first championship and he’ll always be a special player and special friend to me. So I wish nothing but the best to him for now and we’ll continue to stay in touch and whatnot.”

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After appearing in 18 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, averaging 16.1 minutes per game, Rajon Rondo should find that consistently once he gets up to speed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Darius Garland and Kevin Pangos are the only healthy point guards on their 15-man roster.

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