http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/sports/basketball/celtics-reportedly-near-agreement-to-trade-rajon-rondo.html 2014-12-19 03:31:46 Celtics Near an Agreement to Trade Rondo to the Mavericks Boston was close Thursday to trading Rondo, a four-time All-Star, to the Dallas Mavericks for three players and two draft picks === BOSTON — Already engaged in a major rebuilding project, the The trade, which was still being completed Thursday evening, would send forwards Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder and point guard Jameer Nelson to Boston along with a first-round pick in 2015, according to multiple reports. The Celtics would also receive a second-round pick while sending along the seldom-used Dwight Powell, presumably for salary-matching purposes. Rondo, a first-round pick of the Celtics in 2006, was in the final year of his contract and had told the team he would test free agency. While the Celtics understood Rondo’s stance — he would earn more by waiting — they also did not want to be left with nothing. General Manager Danny Ainge has been stockpiling first-round picks over the last two years to hasten the rebuilding process, and the team will now have three first-round picks in the 2015 draft. Rondo averaged 8.3 points, 10.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds a game this season. Injuries have hampered him the last two seasons. Rondo tore his right anterior cruciate ligament midway through the 2012-13 season and appeared in only 38 games, and last season he played only 30 games while recovering from the injury. This season he missed most of training camp when he broke his hand in a shower accident at his home. He will be 29 in February and is the last link to the Celtics 2008 N.B.A. title team. Rondo would appear to be a major upgrade for the Mavericks, who have been using three players at the point guard position: Nelson, Devin Harris and J. J. Barea. According to ESPN’s Stats and Information, that threesome ranked last in the N.B.A. among point guards in points per game (7.4 average) and last in field-goal percentage (36). The group ranked 28th in assists per game at just 4.3 a game, with Nelson (4.1) leading the way. Rondo was leading the N.B.A. in assists with 10.8 per game. He led the league in assists in 2011-12 and 2012-13. His play this season has been up and down, complicated by his 33 percent shooting from the free-throw line and an ever-changing lineup as Coach Brad Stevens tried to find a successful formula. The team is 9-14. Wright has emerged as an effective role player for the Mavericks, averaging 8.8 points a game in 18.7 minutes. He leads the league in field-goal percentage at 74.8 percent, as virtually all his baskets are dunks or layups. He is a wiry, athletic, 6-foot-10 forward whose contract concludes at the end of the season. Crowder has averaged 10 minutes a game. Nelson, an All-Star in 2008-09, started 23 of the Mavericks’ 27 games. He has a player option on his contract for next season. Harris started three games, and Barea started one. Rondo’s passing skills could blend well with targets like Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis. Rondo would also seem to be a good fit on the defensive perimeter, especially with a rim protector like Tyson Chandler behind him. Rondo led the N.B.A. in steals in 2009-10, the first season he was selected to the All-Star Game.