Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Sunday that the possibility of trading point guard Rajon Rondo is "not out of the question" given his impending free-agent status next summer, but reaffirmed that the team would "love to keep him in Boston."
Answering questions during an appearance at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Worcester, Ainge maintained his often-repeated stance that he desires to keep Rondo in Boston, but is uncertain exactly how the team will proceed with the All-Star point guard desiring to explore unrestricted free agency next summer.
"The truthful answer is I really don't know," Ainge said of Rondo's future, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. "I have no intention [of trading Rondo]. I'm not trying to trade Rondo, but because he's a free agent this summer, he assured me that he wants to stay in Boston. We'd love to keep him in Boston."
Added Ainge: "The possibility of a trade is not out of the question. Nobody is untradeable, but I don't see that happening."
Ainge has said repeatedly that he expects Rondo to have the best season of his career further removed from the ACL surgery that limited him to 68 games over the past two seasons. Rondo is set to earn a team-high $12.9 million in the final year of five-year extension he inked in October of 2009.
Rondo's name has swirled nonstop in trade rumors throughout his career, but Ainge has maintained that the only time he's come close to dealing Rondo was in a failed pursuit of Chris Paul.
"I love Rondo," Ainge told the T&G. "He's a fun kid to be around. I've seen a lot of growth in him as a person and maturity through the years."