NBA: Boston Celtics trade star point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks
Last Updated: 19/12/14 8:40am
The Boston Celtics traded point guard Rajon Rondo to Dallas on Thursday, cutting ties with the last remnant of their last NBA championship while giving Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks a chance at another title.
The Celtics will send Rondo and forward Dwight Powell to Dallas in exchange for Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright, two draft picks and a $12.9m trade exception.
Boston get a first-round pick in next year's draft and a second-rounder in 2016.
The Celtics have eight first-round picks in the next four years, picking them up in trades for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers as they shed the pieces of the New Big Three that earned the franchise its record 17th NBA title in 2008.
Rondo is in his ninth season with the Celtics, but has played just 90 games over the last three campaigns because of various injuries, most recently a broken hand and a torn knee ligament.
However, the 28-year-old has a league-leading three triple-doubles this season and is averaging a league-high 10.8 assists along with 8.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.
The Celtics said in a statement: "We would not have won Banner 17 without Rajon and will always consider him one of our most valuable Celtics. We will always cherish the time he was here."
"My time in Boston has meant so much," Rondo wrote on Twitter in addressing his departure.
"I've grown up with this city both as a basketball player and person. The love I have for the most loyal and supportive fans in the league is unmatched.
"I look forward to building something special in Dallas."
Rondo joins Nowitzki, Monta Ellis, Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons in a high-octane starting five for the Mavs.
Dallas is 19-8 this season but in third place in the Southwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference.
The Mavericks, who won their only NBA title in 2011, have not won a playoff series since.
The deal does not come as a huge surprise as Rondo was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and he had expressed his interest in testing the market.
The Celtics are engaged in a rebuilding project following the departures of Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen which made the possibility of resigning Rondo unlikely.
The Mavericks were one of several teams to express interest in Rondo. The Celtics also had talked to the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets about a potential deal, according to reports.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge found a partner in Dallas, which is coached by his former Boston teammate Rick Carlisle.