The Los Angeles Clippers are acquiring Rajon Rondo from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Lou Williams, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Hawks will also receive cash and two choices in the Clippers’ second round. The Clippers chased Rondo this off-season, but were unable to make the money work, as they used the mid-level exception of non-contributors to sign Serge Ibaka. Williams, however, earns almost exactly the same amount of money as Rondo, so a trade became viable from there.
Rondo signed a two-year contract with the Hawks this off-season, but it was a huge disappointment. He averages just 3.9 points and 3.5 assists per game on the bench this season, and with Bogdan Bogdanovic recovering, the Hawks simply don’t have many minutes left to offer a struggling player. At Williams, however, the Hawks not only get an extra scorer who once had a successful spell in Atlanta, but more importantly, leaves the second season with Rondo.
The Clippers, for their part, did not have a real point guard throughout the season. These fights manifested themselves most strikingly in the clutch, when the Clippers’ attack seems stagnant and desperately needs the ball to move. Rondo should help with that, and even though he is no longer a major player of the regular season, last season proved just how effective he can be in the playoffs.
The Clippers did not have a single first-round negotiable choice to fluctuate within this timeframe, nor did they have a compatible salary. This limited their ways to improve, so they took a hit on a veteran who, in the right environment, might be able to make a difference in the postseason. In that sense, they rank quite well in this business.
Los Angeles receives:
Atlanta receives:
- Two future second round choices
- Money Considerations
Commercial Grade of Clippers: B +
The Clippers wanted Kyle Lowry. They wanted a surefire impact owner, but they weren’t going to get one with what they had available. The dealings with Paul George and Marcus Morris deprived them of all choices in the first round, and Williams was their only valid salary to expire. Realistically, they had three options. They might have expected someone important to be available in the procurement market, but that seemed unlikely. They could have broken their rotation more and offered a player like Ivica Zubac for an upgrade, but that would have created one hill to fill another. Or, they could have made a move like this. Low cost and high reward. It makes sense.
Rondo has not played well this season. This is not surprising. He also didn’t play well last season. He has not had a double digit average in the score since 2016. He has hit 42.4 percent on the pitch in the regular season since then. But Rondo was sensational in the postseason for the Lakers last season, a trend that has remained largely since he left Boston. Rondo gets better when it matters, and the Clippers needed it a lot.
The Clippers were surpassed by 14.1 points for 100 possessions in clutch adjustments this season, the fifth worst score in basketball. They are 17th in the NBA for passes per game, but only 24th for potential assists. The attack lacks movement and structure. Rondo, if you can resume the shape of the bubble that earned you a multi-year agreement with Atlanta, it will help on those fronts and do it at a reasonable price.
Missing Williams’ stings. Microwave markers are valuable in a team that struggles to generate points systematically. But he just couldn’t stay on the ground until late in the games due to his defensive deficiencies. The Clippers have put a player on Rondo who can close games for them in the postseason. The same was not true for Williams. Even if they had to eat another year of money and give up some cash, this alone makes the exchange worthwhile.
Hawks commercial class: A
Atlanta’s goal this season was simply to make it into the postseason, not to win anything after getting there. In that sense, Rondo has always been a strange signing. Reaching the postseason means playing well in the regular season, and that’s something Rondo hasn’t done in years. The Hawks gave him a two-year contract that seemed like a mistake almost immediately. Williams, whose contract expires this off-season, is essentially a safeguard clause. At the very least, the benefit of this trade is that it saves money for the Hawks next season. That money could be important with John Collins, a restricted free agent.
But Williams can really help the Hawks. Injuries are a big part of that, but the Hawks had more than 15 points for 100 worst offensive possessions when Trae Young went to the bench. Williams will at least help them generate some pick-and-roll points for these bank units, and with the Hawks now back in the playoffs, that will mean a lot this season. The fact that they were also given two choices in the second round of the deal is a nice bonus. Atlanta has been successful on all fronts in this business. They saved money. They added a player who could help them in exchange for one who didn’t. They added seed capital. Win-win-win.