Rajon Rondo intrigued by free agency

— -- Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo says he hasn't given much thought to whether he will explore unrestricted free agency when his contract expires after the 2014-15 season, but he acknowledged Friday there are aspects of it that intrigue him.

"It's kind of like, I would say, maybe college recruiting," Rondo said after practice. "I'm pretty sure a lot more goes into it in the NBA. A lot more money is spent.

"I've heard stories, guys getting called right at midnight. It's something that I haven't experienced. I may want to go through it. I haven't thought about it at all."

ESPN.com NBA Insider Chris Broussard reported Thursday that Rondo is keeping his options open in terms of both winning and money and is looking forward to becoming an unrestricted free agent. Rondo said Friday he had no response to the report.

Rondo and the Celtics discussed a possible contract extension recently, but those talks were largely perfunctory. Negotiations will heat up this summer, when the Celtics will look to tack three years onto the final year of Rondo's contract, offering him a nice raise and locking him in at a moderate salary that would allow the team to add quality pieces around him.

If Rondo reaches free agency after the 2014-15 season, he'll be able to command a much larger salary and drive up his price tag on the open market.

"I haven't thought about it," Rondo said. "I've just thought about getting my leg as strong as possible, continue to shake off the rust this year and come back even better next."

While the Celtics have remained steadfast that they have no plans to trade Rondo, they might have to ponder that scenario a bit more if they are unable to work out an extension this summer -- or risk leaving themselves a bit exposed if he reaches free agency.

Rondo signed a five-year, $55 million extension of his rookie pact in October 2009.

Brian Robb, an ESPN Boston correspondent, contributed to this report from Waltham.