Rajon Rondo says he didn’t hurt hand at trampoline park, hopes to stay with Celtics

Rajon Rondo sat behind a table, with GM Danny Ainge to his right, at the Boston Celtics media day on Monday — and that’s all Rondo can do for most of training camp (and maybe the start of the season) after breaking his left hand last Thursday. Rondo tried to talk about how he wants to remain a Celtic long term.

But some wanted to talk about that broken hand… reports had surfaced that Rondo had been at a trampoline park with his kids not long before he reported the broken hand. With Rondo’s explanation being he broke his hand in the shower, there were doubts and rumors.

Rondo tried to shoot those down rumors down Monday, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

He went to a trampoline park on Tuesday and admitted that he did do some jumping and learned a few trips. His daughter’s birthday was on Wednesday and they saw Lion King and he later played softball. On Thursday, he returned to another trampoline park to let his kids burn off some steam for about 45 minutes, adding that he didn’t do any jumping that day.

“That night, [I] went home and that’s when the incident happened,” he said. “It didn’t happen at the trampoline place.”

Rondo was backed up by the trampoline park co-owner, reports WEEI.com. The owner said Rondo didn’t jump on Thursday and left uninjured.

Rondo and Ainge tried to quickly dispel the broken hand talk and move on to discussing Rondo’s future in Boston. Few players have popped up in more trade rumors than Rondo the past few years, and Ainge has left his options open (particularly after drafting Marcus Smart last June), but Rondo said he wants to stay in Boston, reports the Boston Globe.

“The fans, the people here, make me want to stay,” said Rondo. “The organization has been great. I can’t say enough about Danny and [majority owner] Wyc [Grousbeck]. When I walk down the street, the fans embrace me from Day 1. Even when we won a championship, people don’t just appreciate us winning. It’s more of a thank you. It’s a love for the game. These people here know the game and they care for it. They know when you’re not playing as hard as you can. The love I get is kind of overwhelming in Boston. Why wouldn’t I want to stay here?”

Well, because the Celtics are rebuilding and he might be able to win more quickly elsewhere.

But we all know it comes down to money. In a marketplace where Eric Bledsoe gets five-years, $70 million, isn’t Rondo a max guy?

“I think a four-time All-Star by the time he’s 27 years old would qualify for max based on what we’ve seen in the marketplace,” Ainge said. “If I were Rajon and I were Rajon’s agent [Bill Duffy], I would definitely say that. But since I’m negotiating against him, I’ll withhold.”

You don’t say that as a GM unless you plan to offer that kind of money.