NBA notes: Pelicans reportedly agree to one-year contract with Rajon Rondo

The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly agreed in principle on a one-year deal with free-agent point guard Rajon Rondo.

Rondo is expected to sign his contract next week since the terms are still being finalized. Yahoo Sports first reported the agreement, which has been confirmed by the Associated Press.

The deal joins Rondo with fellow Kentucky Wildcats Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins.

The addition gives coach Alvin Gentry the flexibility to play Jrue Holiday at shooting guard, an effective position for him in the past.

Rondo was a four-time All-Star and won a championship with the Celtics. But he has bounced from Dallas to Sacramento to Chicago in the last three seasons.

Harden envisions Houston title

James Harden never wants to leave Houston and is intent on bringing another NBA title to the city the Californian now considers home. And the Rockets are doing everything possible to make sure “The Beard” gets exactly what he wants.

The clearest evidence of that came a week ago when they signed him to the biggest contract in league history: a four-year, “supermax” extension that guarantees $228 million over the next six seasons.

“I know where I want to retire ultimately and I know where I want to win a championship,” Harden said. “Everything is going to happen in Houston and that’s the reason I’m here forever.”

Head West

As star after star headed West this summer either in free agency or via trade, Clippers coach Doc Rivers became more and more bewildered.

“I think Gordon Hayward’s the smartest one. He got out of town,” Rivers said, referring to the All-Star’s move from Utah to Boston. “He went to the East. I really don’t understand the logic of this. It is what it is. It’s just going to be a harder conference, if that’s possible.”

Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap were all All-Stars in the Eastern Conference last season who will play in the West next season. Chris Paul chose to leave the Clippers, but stayed in the West to join James Harden in Houston and important role players like Jeff Teague, P.J. Tucker and Patrick Patterson all left teams in the East to come West for a run at the Golden State Warriors.

Rather than running from the Warriors, who burned down the league last season and seemed poised to dominate for the near future with four All-Stars all in their prime, most teams in the West are running right into the fire.

“The other way, that’s a defeatist attitude,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “How long can you wait? I don’t know if Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay [Thompson] and those guys are going anywhere for a while. You just can’t go into hibernation, wake up and say, ‘OK, it’s our time.’ We compete.”