The tumultuous experiment of Rajon Rondo has transformed into an unwanted disaster for the Chicago Bulls, as was expected by many when the Bulls inked Rondo to a free-agent deal in July.
This Chicago Bulls club was faced with numerous questions and doubts entering this season. Among the most prominent: How would Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, two longtime enemies with play styles that don’t quite connect when paired, fit once sided together on the same team?
We are two months into the season, and things are not going well for those that were hopeful. The Bulls are a mediocre 16-18, a record that is undoubtedly lower than what it should be when considering the amount of talent this group possesses on paper. Rajon Rondo has been benched by head coach Fred Hoiberg, who labeled the choice as ‘strictly a basketball decision’.
Rondo, when speaking to reporters this past weekend, wouldn’t totally rule out a potential buyout or trade down the road if his role continued to reduce. He recently met with general manager Gar Forman to discuss the matter, raising questions as to how safe his spot on the team was and whether the team would begin looking to move him.
According to Sean Highkin of The Athletic, Rondo’s spot with the Bulls is considered to be safe at the moment:
It’s unclear when point guard Rajon Rondo will take the court for the Bulls again. But a trade or buyout is not believed to be in his immediate future.
After Rondo received a DNP-CD in the Bulls’ New Year’s Eve loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, he told reporters that he was going to meet with Bulls management to discuss his future with the team. He didn’t rule out asking for a trade or a buyout if he got the sense the Bulls didn’t want to play him going forward.
However, a source with direct knowledge of the Saturday night meeting told The Athleticthat Rondo wasn’t in any immediate danger of losing his spot on the team, as long as he stays professional and ready to play.
The feeling throughout the organization is that Rondo has been a positive off-court presence since signing with the Bulls in July, outside of an incident with assistant coach Jim Boylen during a Dec. 3 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Rondo was suspended for one game after that incident, missing the Dec. 5 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. At the time, Rondo’s teammates and coaches came to his defense, with Jimmy Butler calling him a “phenomenal damn teammate.”
Rajon Rondo signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Bulls this past July in free agency. His last two stints, one with Dallas and the other with Sacramento, failed to go smoothly, resulting in him once again switching teams and joining Chicago.
When surrounded with the appropriate personnel, meaning players that can make a perimeter jumpshot or finish off pick-and-roll sets with ease, Rondo can prove to be one of the more dangerous point guards in the association. However, when paired with other ball-dominant slashers such as Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, Rondo’s significance and importance vastly reduces.
Despite his spot on the team remaining safe right now, Rajon Rondo’s future with the Chicago Bulls remain very much unclear.
