The rarest of the rare: A three-team NBA trade.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the swap Monday, with the centerpiece being two-time NBA champion point guard Rajon Rondo heading from Los Angeles to Cleveland.
Rondo went from the Lakers to the Cavs, and Denzel Valentine went from the Cavs to the Knicks, who then waived him. For the Lakers, it was more of a move to free up the salary and open a roster spot.
The move comes on the heels of Cavs point guard Ricky Rubio tearing his ACL.
The 6’1”, 180-pound Rondo played in 18 games for the Lakers this season. Throughout his 16-year NBA career, he’s appeared in 936 games (732 starts) with the Lakers, Clippers, Hawks, Pelicans, Bulls, Kings, Mavericks and Celtics.
He boasts career averages of 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.1 minutes per game. His 7,481 assists rank 14th all-time in league history and are fourth best among active players.
The veteran has also led the league in assists three times (2012, 2013, 2016) and steals once (2010) while registering 32 career triple-doubles and 236 double-doubles.
