Rajon Rondo makes everyone around him on the floor play better. (USATSI)
Rajon Rondo makes everyone around him on the floor play better. (USATSI)

Oh, the West. Triple-overtime in San Antonio between the Grizzlies and Spurs on Wednesday night. A nationally televised showdown between the conference-leading Warriors and rising Thunder on Thursday night.

As if the West weren't wild enough, here comes a trade possibility that could shake the conference from top to bottom: the intriguing tale of Rajon Rondo.

With Celtics president Danny Ainge seriously engaging several teams on Rondo trade scenarios, a league source told CBSSports.com Thursday that the point guard is open to re-signing with at least two of them -- the Mavericks and Rockets.

Other teams, including the Lakers and Knicks, have been on the periphery of talks. But Ainge is unlikely to deal Rondo within the conference, much less within the division. The Lakers reportedly have offered multiple protected first-round picks and Steve Nash's $9.7 million expiring contract (paid mostly by insurance), though some rival executives still view them as more of an option for Rondo in free agency next summer as opposed to via a trade.

Given Rondo's looming unrestricted free agency, any deal would have to come with assurances that he'd be willing to re-sign with his new team. While those discussions have yet to take place with agent Bill Duffy since no trade agreement is in place, a person familiar with Rondo's thinking said the possibility of competing for championships in Dallas or Houston intrigues him.

This is not to say Rondo is seeking a trade. Asked after Wednesday night's 109-92 victory over Orlando if he wanted to stay in Boston, Rondo told reporters, "How many times do you want me to say it? ... My thoughts and my opinions as far as the organization haven't changed."

But Ainge's willingness to engage teams in serious trade talks for Rondo certainly has -- and on several levels, it's easy to see why.

First, whatever you might think of Rondo's shaky jumper and cantankerous demeanor, he is a game-changing talent who could turn the West's playoff race on its head depending on where he lands. If he can make the likes of Kelly Olynyk and Brandon Bass look like All-Stars at times, imagine what he could do with Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki -- much less James Harden and Dwight Howard.

Hot starts by Golden State (21-3) and Memphis (21-4) have other Western Conference contenders looking to the trade market to close the gap. Look no further than Rondo, who makes everyone around him better on both ends of the floor.

More than 44 percent of Rondo's possessions end in an assist, according to the NBA's statistical database. Only three players in the league who've logged at least 20 games this season are above 40 percent -- the others being Andre Miller and Steve Blake. Only John Wall (47.6) has assisted on a higher percentage of his teammates' baskets than Rondo (45.8). Among guards, he has the highest defensive rebounding percentage in the league (grabbing 21.8 percent of available rebounds on that end of the floor).

For some context, the Mavs' Tyson Chandler -- who is 7 feet tall and could be Rondo's teammate soon -- gets 28 percent of available defensive rebounds.

At the same time, you can see why Ainge has taken a more aggressive posture on the Rondo trade market than ever before. With two first-round picks still coming from Brooklyn from the last phase of Boston's Big Three breakup, Ainge has an opportunity to add another premium pick and completely overhaul his roster over the next three years -- plus preserve cap space to be a factor in the next major free-agent class in 2016.

Where the Lakers are concerned, it should be noted that they also possess Houston's 2015 first-round pick, which will be in the 15-30 range, in addition to a top-five protected pick earmarked for Phoenix. As silly as it might seem for the Lakers to trade the Suns' pick -- which the Celtics would get only if it fell in the top five -- rival executives believe that would be more of a concern for the Celtics than for the Lakers. (Rondo presumably would make the Lakers better, thus increasing the chances that the pick goes to Phoenix.) But the Lakers are team looking to attract stars via free agency, and pairing Rondo with Kobe Bryant might be a better magnet for that than someone who currently is 18 or 19 years old.

As far as the Rockets, rival executives continue to operate under the assumption that they are targeting not Rondo, but Suns point guard Goran Dragic, who is caught in a backcourt logjam with Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas and is due for a big pay day as a free agent next summer. So whereas Rondo is available now, if the Rockets wait, Dragic might be available at the deadline.

Also, consider that Ainge already has drafted Rondo's replacement, Marcus Smart. And though Smart has been injury prone in his brief NBA career thus far, the Celtics actually have performed better this season with Smart on the floor than with Rondo.

The Celtics' net rating -- the point differential per 100 possessions -- is minus-2.4 with Rondo on the floor this season. With Smart on the floor, they're a plus-12.6, albeit in a fraction of the minutes (164 compared to Rondo's 699). Though it's a tiny sample size (24 minutes over four games), the lineup of Smart, Bass, Olynyk, Jeff Green and Evan Turner is producing 133.9 points per 100 possessions -- fourth in the league, irrespective of playing time.

Smart -- not Rondo -- is part of the Celtics' two most effective lineups (in terms of net rating) that have been utilized for at least 20 minutes this season. Among Boston's most-used lineups, the combination of Rondo, Green, Avery Bradley, Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger has been the most effective (plus-7.8 rating).

Plug Rondo into Dallas' lineup in place of Jameer Nelson, and the mind races with the possibilities. With Houston, there would seem to be less upside with Rondo presumably taking playing time away from Patrick Beverley.

One thing is certain, though: The Rockets will use their $8.4 million trade exception from the Jeremy Lin trade with the Lakers this past summer to acquire a player before Dec. 19 -- the deadline for acquiring players who can be dealt again on Feb. 19 under league rules. So the assets Daryl Morey has to include in a Rondo package could be vastly different by the close of business on Friday.

If the Celtics are ever going to trade Rondo, now is the time. The consequences would reverberate from top to bottom in the Western Conference.