Dec 5, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) passes the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at TD Garden.
Dec 5, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) passes the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at TD Garden. REUTERS

The Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics quickly pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal that sends all-star point guard Rajon Rondo and rookie Dwight Powell to the Dallas Mavericks for Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder, their 2015 first-round pick (protected 1-3 and 16-30) and their 2016 second round pick plus a $13 million trade exception. The teams have agreed in principle just a day both have been rumoured to be in serious talks which was first broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The move comes after the Celtics have been shopping their court general since the summer. The team failed to grant an extension to Rondo during the offseason as he will become a free agent in June 2015. Bill Duffy, the agent of Rondo, has said that his client is willing to sign a contract extension with the former world champion Mavs in the summer in what is conceivably a win-win trade for both sides.

This completes the overhaul of the Celtics roster from the glory days of the Big Three in the late 2000s era. The foursome of Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen brought the coveted title to the Celtics the year the team was formed. Garnett is now on the last year of his playing contract with the Brooklyn Nets and has contemplated retirement and eyeing a role in team ownership. Pierce is still thriving as a veteran clutch shooter in the Washington Wizards while Allen is semi-retired and is still being courted by a couple of teams to bring his shooting touch to any club having an inside look at contender status.

Rondo, on the other hand is trying to recapture his all-star form after going down with a knee injury that sidelined him for almost a year. The 28-year-old player is currently averaging pedestrian numbers of 8 points, ten assists and 7 rebounds on a little over 40% field goal shooting this season while carrying the alpha role in the young Celtics squad. He will be joining a loaded roster similar to what he had in the Big Three days and will be expected to take the role of Jason Kidd way back 2011 when the Mavs shocked the NBA world and captured its first championship.

The Celtics continue their march toward a complete rebuild after acquiring another first round pick in the next draft, making it a total of 3. They will look into handling the point guard duties to 2014 first round pick Marcus Smart and focus more on the development of young guys Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley. They are still looking to unload Jeff Green for a first round pick with teams such as the Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors reportedly enamoured with the versatile small forward.