In a somewhat surprising move at the trade deadline, the LA Clippers sent Lou Williams home to Atlanta in exchange for Rajon Rondo.
With the team’s need for another playmaker having been discussed all season, this may not have come completely out of left field but still wasn’t something we had heard rumored.
How did the LA Clippers do in adding Rajon Rondo to the roster?
Let’s start by just looking at the trade and what was given up.
The Clippers gave up not only Lou Williams who is on a cheaper contract than Rondo (expiring versus $7.5 million next season) but also had to send two second-round draft picks. For reference, Evan Fournier was dealt to the Boston Celtics for just two second-round picks and no other players. Yes, there is some benefit to the Magic not taking back any salary in that deal but it’s odd to me that Rondo and Fournier were similarly priced.
Next, we’ll look at Rondo’s stats this season. In 27 games for Atlanta, Rondo appeared in just an average of 14.9 minutes per game. His scoring is a career-low 3.9 points per game despite him shooting a career-best 37.8% from deep. His assists and rebounds are also a career-low at 3.5 and 2.0 per game, respectively.
Obviously, the minutes do play a factor but per 36 minutes his scoring is still the third-worst of his career. His assists are more in line with his normal stats but are still below his career average of 9.6, as are his rebounds. Granted, Rondo is 35 years old so some falloff is to be expected. Still, that’s not great and obviously isn’t better than Lou Williams’ per 36 minutes stats.
Rondo has also fallen off as a defender since his early career where he built a name for himself. Is he still better than Lou? Probably but it might not be by as much as you think.
There is something to be said about the phenomenon that is “Playoff Rondo”. He is the type of player whose stats go up in the postseason and seems unafraid of the moment. Lou Williams, on the other hand, has been labeled as someone who can’t get it done in the playoffs. That’s not a completely fair criticism and I suggest looking at this thread from Lucas Hann regarding last year and the Denver series.
this isn't really relevant to what Rondo will/won't bring to LAC, but if part of the rationale is that "Lou can't play in the playoffs" it's simply demonstrably untrue. LAC was +10.7 w/ Lou on vs Denver and -14.2 w/ him off. Offense 20 pts better on compared to off.
— Lucas (@LucasJHann) March 25, 2021
The Clippers obviously took those stats into account when evaluating but saw Rondo as a better fit and option for this team. It might have even been as simple as they felt that their need for a backup point guard and insurance for Patrick Beverley outweighed Lou’s scoring when they already have Luke Kennard coming off the bench in a similar role.
Overall, the team better hope that this was the type of move to benefit them in the postseason. If Rondo can come in and create some postseason magic, the deal will be seen more favorably. For now, however, it’s a tough pill to swallow.