You would be trading two good players for one good player. Rondo is probably the best player in the deal, though you’re being forced to guess w/r/t the No. 4. Best defensive PG in the league, but not very helpful on offense (though he can pass — he’s a turnover machine with below-average shooting numbers). Thompson could be a solid, non All-Star two-way player, and the No. 4 could be anything from perennial All-Star to bust. I wouldn’t be comfortable giving up Thompson and No. 4, and to be honest I’d be hesitant to give up No. 4 straight up. Why is Boston trying to trade Rondo?

for anyone, is that we’re giving up 2 possible stars for this team (#4 and JT), guys that would be learning the game and perhaps have a loyalty to Sacramento, for someone who is probably good, but might not enjoy playing in Sacramento during rebuilding time.

The #4 pick, whoever it is, is going to be given the keys the future. And if we do get Rubio, if we had to give up Thompson to do it, it wasn’t worth it.

I agree that Thompson isn’t a “throw in”, but people talk like he has already proven himself as an all-star quality player or something. He is young with potential, that is always a good thing. You don’t give up a player like that for nothing.

That said, I would do #4 + Thompson for Rondo any day. In a second. Have you forgotten that Rondo was averaging just shy of a triple double in the playoffs? He is not some average player, he is already an all-star quality player who is still extremely young. Yes, he has a big payday coming up, but that wouldn’t stop me from coming out with an incredible young PG who has so many qualities we need. Star power, defensive toughness at the guard spot, great rebounder for a guard, can get to the hoop, and can play the drive and dish. The only thing he can’t do is consistently make outside shots, and he is still working on that part of his game.

But he’s also definitely not untouchable. He showed a lot of promise last season, but as I said elsewhere, his performance this season was a bit overrated by Kings fans. So I wouldn’t be opposed to including him in a deal.

That said, I would agree that #4 plus Thompson is probably a tiny bit too much for Rondo. It’s really close, though, and give me a few drinks and I might take it, mainly because I’m a charter member of Rubio Skeptics United and I feel like Rondo stepped it up into Top 5 PG land in the playoffs. Take him away from Boston and is he still as good? I don’t know, but he started looking like a cornerstone player while Celtics players were injured and playing like doo doo.

Also, I see that TheRaven said exactly what I was typing. Damn you, TheRaven, for making me look like I’m plagiarizing you.

What do you do with Beno Udrih? With this group now, you have time. With Rondo, you’re speeding up the timetable. It makes little sense.

someone said it! I know he’ll never be a consistant all star player, but I do think he’ll be a double double machine when all is said and done …. and you don’t give that up as a “throw in.”

I’d much rather just have Petrie draft Jennings or Evans … keep Thompson …. and keep building.

During the rebuilding process, the name of the game is acquiring assets.

It’s probably a little premature to be making any significant 2-for-1 deals at this point, but nobody is untouchable.

Look at the Bulls, Blazers, & Sonics. They all have a lot of pieces, and can thus deal from a position of strength, and thus have more trade options.

In this case, for a Rondo-#4/JT deal to work, we first need to look at the fallout of such a deal:

• First we must assume that the Kings would get at least 80% of what the Celtics got out of Rondo.
• Then JT needs to be replaced at the 4 unless you think Noc can play 82 games there. With no other real trade assets left, this would likely have to come in the form of a FA signing.
• Who do you sign as a FA big: Diogu? Gortat (with Hawes moving to the 4)? In any event, you’re looking at giving someone the FULL MLE to ensure that you don’t lose out on your guy, and I know how most people around here feel about the MLE.

Now you’re looking at something like this:

Rondo/Beno
Martin/Garcia
Noc/Greene
Hawes/?
Gortat/?

Obviously this isn’t the only possible result, I’m just pointing out that instead of looking for an upgrade at the 3 and more depth, the team is only 6-7 deep and needs upgrades at the 3, & 4/5.

Honestly, I think that if JT (or Hawes for that matter) are traded there needs to be a quality big coming back to Sacramento to compensate for that (whether in that deal or from another transaction).

For example, even if the #4 & Thompson were traded right now for a better 4, the Kings could still improve the 1 or 3 using the #23 & #31 picks (it’s a PG deep draft and swing players are always easier to find late than 1/4/5). What PF are the Kings drafting at #23 to replace Thompson(/Hawes)?

Using that same package for a PG, especially one that isn’t going to improve the rest of the team significantly (we’re not talking about Nash here), doesn’t seem like the best use of limited assets.

But maybe it’s just me.

…is also a valuable way of measuring a trade’s worth.

Right now we have Thompson, Hawes set as our PF/C combo for the next 2-3 years on ROOKIE deals. I mean they both proved they can play in this league. Now whether or not they make us contenders, that remains to be seen. (I personally believe they have that kind of potential, especially TOGETHER). But by trading away TWO assets($4 AND Thompson) for ONE asset, we lose out a key building block.

So is the opportunity cost of #4(Tyreke Evans, Holiday, Jennings, Flynn, Curry) etc…worth the upgrade to Rondo or Rubio at the expense of Thompson.

ABSOLUTELY NOT. I think it’s a freaking NO-BRAINER. As good as Rondo is, he’s still a ROLE player. He’s getting the benefit of playing next to Garnett, Pierce AND Allen. That’s not to take anything away from Rondo, he’s great in his role in his own right, but we don’t NEED players like that. We have those players in Martin, Thompson and HAwes. EXCELLENT role playing starters. We need the Pierce’s or Garnett’s to move forward.

As for Rubio, he MIGHT be as good as Rondo, he MIGHT be better, but does he really have more upside than either Evans or Holiday? I DUNNO. I think I’d rather take my chances with Evans or Holiday, keep Thompson and build our asset pool moving forward, and WAIT for the opportune moment to spend those pieces on a LEGITIMATE superstar caliber player.

I mean Evans is just as likely to turn into Dwayne Wade and Rubio is to turn into Pistol Pete Maravich meets Steve Nash meets Jason Kidd, IMO. So why spend a HIGH quality asset, on a marginal return that does NOT net us a legit superstar.

The opportunity cost of spending these now, vs. later, makes this an easy no for. I mean, in the ‘no-brain’ region of NO.

I do not feel that Rondo is worth the #4 pick plus any of our assets. I count those assets as Martin, Hawes and Thompson. I base this on the combination of their play, upside and contract. One could successfully argue that Donté Greene should be on that list as well.

Rondo for the #4 pick plus anyone else on our roster? Done.

…that the Kings should sit tight with the #4 pick.
There has been some impressive talent running through the gym these past few weeks and I think that they are in a low risk, high reward situation @ 4.
I would love to get Rubio if he drops to 4 but I wouldnt give away a promising young big & the #4 pick to move up and get him.
Im not a Rondo believer. I think he does a good job for the C’s but I dont think he would have the same effect with the Kings.

and there is a ton of JT love from us Sacramento Kings fans.

But I just don’t agree with you all.

Rondo – starting PG, one of the best PG in the League – for a non-Rubio draft pick and an up and coming power forward who has a promising future and one years’ experience and is the same age as the other RR.

Hmmm, what if the C’s throw in a draft pick (2010)? I would add that the Kings might be able to get a lower pick with the #23 and #31 bundled but this is a weak PF draft and no one in this 2009 draft is a bona-fide prospect (Earl Clark maybe, Jordan Hill will be taken too high), or the #23 and #31 for a recent rookie (? Anthony Randolph, Mareese Speights?). Just saying, there are other possibilities.

Is all about the assets to me. We are giving 2 and getting only 1. Rondo is a proven commodity but I do agree that he has bemefited from playing with the Big 3. I know he had an awesome run in the playoffs but the defense is still not concentrating on him. Pierce and Allen were targets 1 and 2, so Rondo was able to get his. I do believe he’s a really good player but I have no doubt that he would be a different player in Sacramento, playing for a rebuilding team.

Let’s keep accumulating assets and building through the draft. We can make our big move later, no need to rush things IMO.

rolls around I hope we land Rubio, but I also really like Tyreke Evans’ potential. I would much rather have either of those two on the Kings roster as opposed to gaining Rondo minus JT. This probably isn’t popular opinion, but I still haven’t given up on Beno. Tyreke could follow Beno off the bench, then move into the starters role given time and feel for the NBA, and Beno could go back to providing quality backup minutes. Something about seeing Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin play at the same time is exciting to me.

If Rubio falls, then he will likely be the starting point within the first 20 games. All of this to say that the Kings are in an incredible position moving forward, and they should NOT make any hasty decisions like acquiring Rondo as good as he may be.

Just ridiculous amounts of homerism and overrating our own players. JT had a solid rookie year. He wasn’t incredible, he wasn’t great, he was solid. In a sea of crap, he shone like a little diamond of potential.

Suddenly that turns him into some sort of monster that is untouchable to package with the #4 pick for a 23 year-old proven all-star that tore up the playoffs because that player is supposedly completely a product of all the stars around him. Pierce is good of course. Garnett was injured. How many of Ray Allen’s shots were created by Rondo’s penetration? Nah, that was all Allen of course.

It is alright to disagree with #4 + JT for Rondo, but to make it sound like some sort of fleecing of us by Boston steps over the line into homerism. Forgot all of JTs flaws, it was all poor coaching and rookie jitters!

What do people think he’s going to become? Cwebb? sorry, Cwebb was born with that kind of athletism and soft hands. What do you guys think JT will develop into? I’ve read on a few occasions that scouts liken him to AC Green. Good rebounder who can finish and is a complementary power foward. Personally I think he can develop into a 20/10 guy but he’s not going to be CWebb and he’s not gonna be duncan/rasheed wallace/Chris Bosh.

Rondo on the otherhand is top 3 point guard in the nba. If you didnt watch the Celtics playoffs this year, you can’t judge rondo. He’s grown quite a bit as a player.

I dont think we should give up JT/#4 for Rondo BUT maybe #4 and the #23 seems fair

Last year Thompson was the #12 pick. Now he has a year under his belt and showed that he was well worth the #12 and probably could have gone 2-4 spots higher. This draft is pretty bad and very short on bigs. Thompson, if entered into this draft would be at worse a top 6 pick and the #2 power forward after Griffin. So, would you trade 2 of the top 6 picks for Rondo?

Wow. Well, I have not really looked into it but let’s say the Kings do the Rondo deal. Here is the lineup:

PG – Rondo
SG – Martin
SF – Nocioni
PF – Diogu (assuming they resign him)
C – Hawes

That’s not a bad lineup but what my brain is turning. It’s wondering if Petrie, should he do the deal, has a free agent power forward in mind. Who that might be, I haven’t looked in to, but that may be the plan if the deal is made. I believe that Carlos Boozer is a free agent but I highly doubt the Kings could sign him with the money they have available. I also think I remember that Shawn Marion is a FA but he’s getting older now so that wouldn’t make sense. Drew Gooden maybe? nah…

I guess we will have to see.

Keep Thompson.

Unless you get a starter for him straight up.

would you trade Rondo straight up for the # 4 if he did not have a good playoffs? I think he is a very good pg but most of it is because of who is around him in Boston. I don’t think I would trade Rondo for the #4 if you want to “throw in” JT I would love to have him back on the east coast :-) much earlier bed times for me.