Sources told ESPN that Cleveland Cavaliers have completed the trade to buy Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo and a deal is expected to close on Friday.
Both sides are working on a contractual basis, but the guards need to create a place on the list to accommodate Rondo. Cavaliers can add a player with a minimum contract to the Los Angeles contract or snatch a player and finish the trade with a second round pick or cash.
Lockers do not need to withdraw the equivalent salary in the contract because Rondo has a minimum contract so they can regain the unsecured contract they may have lost. The deal is expected to open a place on the list for lockers.
Rondo has been on COVID protocols since Sunday and must clear them before joining the Cavaliers.
Ricky Rubio will miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL in his left knee and Cleveland is moving quickly to find a senior point guard to replace him. Cleveland are one of the most advanced teams in the NBA this season: 20-14 and fifth in the East.
Rubio was instrumental in the Cavaliers’ success this season, and although Rondo has not played anywhere near that level, the Cavaliers hope he will contribute as a playmaker to the resurgent Cavaliers. The Cavaliers also lost point guard Colin Sexton with a knee injury.
The 35-year-old Rondo has averaged 3.1 points and 3.7 assists in 16 minutes in a game for the Lakers this season. This is Rondo’s 16th NBA season, including two championships and four All-Star appearances.