The Celtics and Rajon Rondo have discussed an extension, as GM Danny Ainge told Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston this morning. Ainge suggested the talks aren’t ongoing, but he said the team would negotiate again this summer and “most likely the summer after.”
“In the collective bargaining agreement, there are limits on what can and can’t be done,” Ainge said. “Really it’s not that Rondo doesn’t want to accept an extension, but it’s just not financially smart for him to accept it right now.”
The Celtics could only add two years onto Rondo’s deal if they sign him to an extension now. They could give him a three-year extension starting July 1st, but that’s still fewer than the five years they could commit to him if they re-sign him when he hits free agency in the summer of 2015. The client of BDA Sports Management could sign a four-year deal with another team in free agency.
Though Ainge acknowledges that an extension is unlikely, it’s a signal that the Celtics intend to keep Rondo through the trade deadline. Ainge has consistently batted down the notion that he’s looking to trade the All-Star point guard, in spite of rival executives who believe the Celtics will shop Rondo.