Mitch Kupchak Sounds Like Maybe the Lakers Are Interested in Rajon Rondo

"MT: Would you like to address it before the trade deadline? Kupchak: Well, if there were a way for us to get a 25-year-old, All-Star, ball-handling guard we’d love to do it … but that’s not likely in February. So you look at other alternatives, and see if it’s better than what you have. That’s all."

Rajon Rondo is 25 (for another two weeks). He’s been an All-Star. He’s a terrific ball-handler (2nd in the league in assists last year, 2nd in assists this year). In a Western Conference where Derek Fisher is going to get abused in the playoffs by Chris Paul, Tony Parker or Russell Westbrook, the Lakers desperately could use a point guard if they harbor dreams of an NBA Finals run.

They could also use a 3-point shooter and a wing scorer to take some scoring pressure off Kobe, but I’m pretty sure they’d be thrilled with a Rondo-Kobe-Bynum trio for the next few years. If Danny Ainge really wants to blow up the aging core and part with Rondo, who he seemingly doesn’t like, why not dangle Rondo and Ray Allen for Pau Gasol?

Gasol only turns 32 in June, doesn’t have an injury history, and why couldn’t he give Boston a few years of what Kevin Garnett did? No, a Pierce-KG-Gasol trio doesn’t sound like title material (especially with a backcourt of … Avery Bradley and Marquis Daniels?), but rebuilding is coming either way. Is Boston really going to be able to make a free agent splash in the next two years with a haul better than one of the best 7-footers in the league?