Celtics Trade Rumors: Rajon Rondo Could be Off the Market

Despite a steady stream of trade rumors, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that the organization hasn't discussed trading point guard Rajon Rondo.

In all that time we did not talk once about any trades, Rivers said of a recent hour and a half long meeting with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. There was not one single thing about Rajon Rondo that crossed my desk.

Rivers' comments are a direct contradiction to an ESPN report earlier this week that the Celtics were aggressively trying to trade the All-Star point guard. ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that Rondo has a poor relationship with Rivers and that he is an off-court distraction for Boston.

While that might be going on behind the scenes, Ainge had nothing but good things to say about his star guard.

I'm very confident that Rondo knows what I think of him, what I feel about him as a player and how important he is to our team, Ainge told Boston sports radio station WEEI. I feel like Rondo is making incredible strides as a player, as a leader, as a teammate, and as a player in every way - offense and defense.

The Celtics signed Rondo to a five-year, $55 million contract extension in 2009, but a lot of teams would likely be interested in adding him. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are two teams that reportedly have interest in him, but the recent comments by Ainge and Rivers suggest the Celtics don't plan on moving Rondo anytime soon. There were some rumors in the off-season that Rondo was offered to New Orleans for Chris Paul, but the Celtics denied it.

The Celtics have struggled this season to a below .500 record and are reportedly considering blowing up the entire team in order to start the rebuilding process. In addition to Rondo, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are two players that could be traded before the NBA's trade deadline on March 15th.