Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Mavericks traded for Rajon Rondo on Thursday, dealing three players and two draft picks to the Boston Celtics for the All-Star point guard, the teams said.
The Mavericks landed Rondo amid reports the Celtics were talking to several other teams about a possible trade, including the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
They also acquired rookie forward Dwight Powell in the deal. In return, the Celtics got point guard Jameer Nelson, forwards Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder, a conditional 2015 first-round draft pick, a 2016 second-round pick and a $12.9 million trade exception.
Rondo, 28, is due to be an unrestricted free agent after this season but has indicated to the Mavericks that he would sign a contract extension next summer, Yahoo Sports reported.
Rondo was the last of the core group that led the Celtics to an NBA title in 2008, following Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen out the door. He also made the Finals in 2010 with Boston.
"We would not have won (our 17th title) without Rajon and will always consider him one of our most valuable Celtics, both on the court and in the community working with kids," the Celtics said in a statement. "We will always cherish the time he was here."
Rondo was in his ninth season with Boston, but has played just 90 games over the last three because of various injuries, most recently a broken hand and a torn ACL.
The former first-round draft pick is still filling stat sheets.
He has an NBA-best three triple-doubles and is averaging a league-high 10.8 assists along with 8.3 points and 7.5 rebounds this season.
Dallas made the deal while in third place in the Southwest Division, where it trails both Memphis and Houston. Reigning NBA champion San Antonio and upstart New Orleans round out the NBA's toughest division.
The Mavericks signed Nelson in July after he spent his first 10 seasons with the Orlando Magic and the 32-year-old point guard averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 assists in 23 games for them.
Wright, 27, is averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in his seventh NBA season and Crowder, 24, is averaging 3.6 points in his third.
Powell, a second-round draft pick out of Stanford, appeared in five games for the Celtics, scoring nine points in nine minutes.
In a related move, the Celtics waived center Vitor Faverani.
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