What Rajon Rondo’s Departure Means for Celtics 2014 Draft Picks

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, a rare blockbuster trade in the middle of the NBA season occurred when the Boston Celtics acquired Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright, a conditional 2015 first round draft pick, a 2016 second round draft pick, and a $12.9 million trade exception from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Rajon Rondo and Dwight Powell.

Rajon Rondo is no longer a Boston Celtic. That sentence is a bit difficult to process. Rondo has donned the green and white jersey in every NBA game in which he has ever participated. He won a championship in Boston. It’s been Rondo’s team since Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett all departed.

This entire trade feels like it is supposed to be about Rondo, but for the Celtics it’s not. It’s about the future and developing the budding, young players on the roster in hopes of them being part of the next group to lead the storied franchise back to the pinnacle.

With Rondo gone, no more conflicting messages exist in the organization. President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge no longer has to worry about balancing the present with the future, or even pretending to do so. There will be no more teetering on the fence about what the goals of this team are.

Now that the first major trade domino (Rondo) has fallen, head coach Brad Stevens can afford to shift focus to young players like Marcus Smart and James Young, the Celtics’ 2014 draft picks. Both players have struggled to get on the court this season due to injuries and a bevy of veterans in front of them on the depth chart. Smart has only played in ten games, whereas Young, who has spent most of his time on assignment in the D-League with the Maine Red Claws, has played in a mere five with the Celtics.

The good news for Smart is without Rondo, his minutes should increase significantly. He could foreseeably be the starting point guard at some point this season, and probably should be. Jameer Nelson and Avery Bradley are quality, veteran point guards, but both are far enough along in their respective careers for us to be able to say neither will be a star. Smart has the potential to be the franchise player, and the first step toward maximizing that potential is getting him on the court and allowing him to learn as he plays.

One wouldn’t think Rondo’s departure would affect Young’s minutes, much because he is not a point guard. However, trading Rondo marked the official end of an era. The Celtics have been rebuilding for several years, but trading away the team’s best player buys Ainge time and sends a clear message to everyone that the rebuilding process begins in full right now, and it is going to take time. Even though Young is a serious project on both ends of the floor, Stevens can now afford to give him significant minutes and not receive a great deal of backlash for playing someone who might not be fully ready for the NBA stage.

With so few games played by Smart and Young to date, it’s tough to evaluate where and what both are in terms of their development. The only way to answer questions about them is to put them on the court, because there is only so much a young player can learn and develop without actual playing time.

Now that the opportunity presents itself, the prudent thing for the Celtics to do would be to give both players significant minutes in the rotation. It’s time to let the young guns run the show or at the very least play a much bigger role, because the Celtics now officially have nothing to lose.