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PurpleFox
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The Kings and point guard Rajon Rondo agreed on a one-year, $10-million contract Friday, according to multiple reports, hours after Sacramento came to terms with shooting guard Marco Belinelli as part of the continuing renovation in the backcourt.
Adding the combustible Rondo to the mix with DeMarcus Cousins, George Karl and years of bad chemistry is a curious decision for an organization desperately in need of stability, compounded by the fact that Rondo’s game is in decline at age 29. A one-year deal, though, makes it a reasonable risk. The four-time All-Star with the Celtics already has a lot to prove after a bad 2014-15 ending with the Mavericks, and now will be under greater pressure than ever to not become a distraction if he hopes to have a chance at another long-term contract at good money.
A year ago, with Pete D’Alessandro as general manager, Sacramento drafted Nik Stauskas in the lottery, let Isaiah Thomas go in free agency and signed Darren Collison to become the new point guard. In the last few days alone, new head of basketball operations Vlade Divac traded Stauskas to the 76ers as part of a salary dump and signed Rondo and Belinelli.
While Ben McLemore is likely still projected as the starting shooting guard after an encouraging second season, the plan is for Belinelli to add three-point shooting, following the plan for Stauskas to add three-point shooting. If the Kings get the Belinelli of 2013-14, they made a significant improvement — he shot 43 percent behind the arc with the Spurs. But the same player on the same team dropped to 37.4, making 2015-16 in Sacramento an important proving ground for him as well as Rondo.
Adding the combustible Rondo to the mix with DeMarcus Cousins, George Karl and years of bad chemistry is a curious decision for an organization desperately in need of stability, compounded by the fact that Rondo’s game is in decline at age 29. A one-year deal, though, makes it a reasonable risk. The four-time All-Star with the Celtics already has a lot to prove after a bad 2014-15 ending with the Mavericks, and now will be under greater pressure than ever to not become a distraction if he hopes to have a chance at another long-term contract at good money.
A year ago, with Pete D’Alessandro as general manager, Sacramento drafted Nik Stauskas in the lottery, let Isaiah Thomas go in free agency and signed Darren Collison to become the new point guard. In the last few days alone, new head of basketball operations Vlade Divac traded Stauskas to the 76ers as part of a salary dump and signed Rondo and Belinelli.
While Ben McLemore is likely still projected as the starting shooting guard after an encouraging second season, the plan is for Belinelli to add three-point shooting, following the plan for Stauskas to add three-point shooting. If the Kings get the Belinelli of 2013-14, they made a significant improvement — he shot 43 percent behind the arc with the Spurs. But the same player on the same team dropped to 37.4, making 2015-16 in Sacramento an important proving ground for him as well as Rondo.