Sebastian Telfair is beginning to garner a lot of attention on the free agent market recently. The former 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft was once considered the best point guard prospect and deemed the "next big thing." The nine year veteran has played with eight different teams during his time in the league, but has yet to really live up to the original expectations placed on him. Now in search of yet another team, several are starting to reach out.
The Los Angeles Times reports the Lakers are the first team to show serious interest in the point guard. The team currently has three point guards under contract including Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar. Apparently they feel there is still room for a fourth.
In 2012 the team carried four point guards on the roster as well but lost two in the offseason, leaving room for Telfair. Nash and Blake suffered multiple injuries during the season, allowing for plenty of playing time for the backups. Telfair is a solid bench player, putting up 5.6 points and 2.6 assists per game.
The Boston Celtics are another team that is showing some interest in Telfair. The point guard briefly played for Boston back in 2007 before being a part of the Kevin Garnett trade. The Celtics have just one true point guard on the roster in Phil Pressey that can step in for Rajon Rondo while he recovers from his ACL injury. Rant Sports is reporting that Boston believes Telfair could have some potential on the team given their lack of depth at the position. Even when Rondo returns, the point guard can offer quality relief.
Boston has almost no cap space to work with, making their interest in Telfair difficult to take serious. They could sign the free agent to a veteran's minimum contract, but someone might need to be released in order for all of that to happen. He would put the team over the luxury tax threshold, something Boston is looking to avoid.
As of now Boston appears confident in Pressey. The team signed the undrafted point guard after a strong summer league performance. They appear ready to given him a go in place of Rondo, but that will not stop them from looking at Telfair. According to general manager Danny Ainge, Rondo could be healthy by the season opener, but some players are slightly less optimistic, saying Rondo might not be healthy until December.
