Celtics are reportedly in "no big rush" to trade Rajon Rondo, but could Atlanta be a dance partner?

Rajon Rondo has been filling up stat sheets in the first three games of the season. The fact that he's currently leading the team in rebounding is nuts.

Despite how well Rondo is playing so far, those nagging questions about Rondo's NBA future remain. He's still 28 years old, in a contract year on a rebuilding team. Given all of that, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix and Rob Mahoney recently discussed what Rondo's future could be.

Mahoney brought up the Atlanta Hawks as a potential trading partner for Rondo's services.

It's tough because Rondo is such a hard player to gauge, in terms of his value. If you're looking for a team that's going to be the greatest fit for him as a player, I really like Atlanta, actually. Just because they have a lot of bigs who can space the floor. They have a lot of guys who can kind of play off of him in interesting ways. And yet, they don't really have any ball dominant players who are going to take the ball out of (Rondo's) hands.

Building that trade is going to be a little bit more tricky, in terms of is Boston really going to be interested in Jeff Teague or Adreian Payne, in Dennis Schroder and draft picks. I don't know if that's going to move the needle for (Boston) at all, but if I'm Atlanta, I'm certainly making those calls.

Atlanta does sound intriguing. Only Rondo knows if he would re-sign there, but after playing a few games with two-time All Star Al Horford, he could be convinced he's in the right place to compete for a title.

The return isn't great. Teague, 26, is owed $8 million this season and the next two. He also doesn't make a ton of sense on this roster, considering the team already has Rondo's heir apparent at point guard in Marcus Smart. If Atlanta can trade for Rondo, they wouldn't need Teague and he would probably have to be included just to make salaries work. Maybe Teague's abilities on offense would mesh well with what Smart and Avery Bradley do. If for nothing else, Teague could be someone Boston holds onto and flips to another team down the road.

My love for Schroder has been well documented and he would make a great addition to the bench. But, again, Smart should be the one to take the reigns in Boston. Payne's got a real nice skill set and his outside shooting could contribute to this bizarro roster where the bigs shoot from outside and the guards drive and dish. Throw in a couple picks from Atlanta and you could have something. It's not perfect, but the team would be adding more assets to the Danny Ainge war chest.

Mannix then throws a bit of cold water on the notion that Rondo will be dealt this season. (After suggesting the L.A. Lakers as another possible landing spot for Rondo.)

I think there's any number of teams in the league that he would be a good fit on. Boston, from what I gather from them, they don't seem to be in any big rush to trade Rondo right now. Now, I'm not sure I get that. Because Rondo and Marcus Smart in that backcourt, those are two guys that don't have great perimeter skills. Still, you see them, the defensive intensity they bring. The fact that they can both get to the basket. I'm starting to think that maybe Boston, with this group, might be the best fit for Rondo.

That's certainly an interesting notion. While they all might play well together now, they are still years away from really getting back into contention. Is Rondo alright with that? Can he wait until he's in his 30s to start vying for titles again? Only time will tell.

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