Cavs, Knicks, Lakers Make Rajon Rondo Trade Official

January 3, 2022

The Cavaliers have officially acquired point guard Rajon Rondo from the Lakers, in a trade that also involved the Knicks.

All three teams announced the deal, which gives the Cavs an experienced backup in Rondo, who will serve as a replacement for Ricky Rubio, out for the season after suffering an ACL tear.

Meanwhile, the Lakers received the draft rights to forward/center Louis Labeyrie from the Knicks.

In turn, the Knicks landed guard/forward Denzel Valentine from Cavaliers, as well as the draft rights to center Wang Zhelin the draft rights to shooting guard Brad Newley and $1.1 million from the Lakers.

Rondo, 35, is the key to the deal, as the Cavs (21-16) are aiming to make a playoff push behind their young core featuring point guard Darius Garland, center Jarrett Allen and rookie forward Evan Mobley.

Rondo had not been playing much with the Lakers, though he tends to save his best work for the postseason, winning a championship with LA in the Orland bubble in 2019-20. He also was a member of the Celtics’ title team back in 2008.

The Cavs also created a small traded player exception (about $858,000) in the deal, as did the Lakers (about $1.7 million).

“The Lakers, meanwhile, essentially decided to move on from Rondo and pay the Knicks a little money in order to reduce their end-of-season luxury tax bill and open up a roster spot,” wrote Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.

Forward Stanley Johnson, on a 10-day contract, appears to be a strong candidate to fill LA’s 15th available roster spot. Johnson has played well in fairly limited action.

Valentine, 28, is 6-foot-4 and averaged 2.9 points in 22 appearances in his first season in Cleveland. The Knicks may not decide to keep him, though they are waiving shooting guard Wayne Selden to create a roster spot.

Valentine would be a free agent if he is waived and goes 48 hours without be unclaimed on the waiver wire — though he’d be ineligible to return to the Cavs for one calendar year.

It seems highly unlikely that Wang, Newley or Labeyrie will ever play in the NBA and were utilized as mere throw-ins to help facilitate the trade.