Poll: Should Celtics Trade Rajon Rondo?

A summer story line resurfaced this weekend with a report that the Knicks had attempted to trade for Rajon Rondo. The injured point guard is the final remaining link to the Celtics’ last championship team, and when Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers all exited this summer, rumors surfaced that Rondo could be next. Celtics GM Danny Ainge denies having conversations with the Knicks and insists that he hasn’t fielded calls about Rondo from any NBA team. Whether or not that’s true, it seems scuttlebutt about the four-time All-Star will persist.

Rondo is under contract for close to $12MM this season and about $12.9MM in 2014/15. It’s one of the most team-friendly deals in the league for a player of his caliber, but it only has two seasons left, and will likely have expired by the time the Celtics are ready to compete again. Still, Rondo’s the team’s best player, and he’s never played for another franchise. One opposing GM believes the Celtics would seek a major star in return for Rondo if they were to deal him away, so perhaps Ainge feels confident enough about the prospect of re-signing him in 2015 to pass up all but the most generous of trade offers.

What do you think Ainge’s strategy should be? Should he cash out the team’s best asset now while he’s under team control on a bargain contract? Or should he make Rondo the centerpiece of his rebuilding effort even though the point guard can bolt in two years? Let us know with a vote, and elaborate on your opinion in the comments.