The Chicago Bulls are currently a mess. Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler are not pleased with their teammates. Fred Hoiberg and Rajon Rondo are not pleased with Wade and Butler. And that’s all before visiting the on-court product which has recently been atrocious and mediocre all year long.
So where do the Bulls stand now? There clearly need to be changes made, but where to start?
Well as it stands, we may know a little more about the franchise’s near-future direction:
Also, there are no plans to buy out Rajon Rondo, per source. Beyond fact he's playing well/acting professionally, contract is trade chip.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 28, 2017
This is not necessarily surprising on a broad level but that the Bulls have reportedly eliminated the possibility of a buy-out is.
It smells like a marketing strategy from Chicago’s front office. If they feel that there are teams desperately looking for a point guard (hello, LeBron and the Cavaliers), then why not make it “clear” that he won’t be available except via trade.
That said, Rondo’s value is not very high right now. He’s made enemies in all of his previous spots, been generally difficult to deal with as a teammate and as a coach’s pupil, and he’s just not that good anymore. The only real value he possesses is through his contract which is only guaranteed for three million dollars next year if he is waived before July.
That could get some team to eat his contract as part of a trade. Otherwise, it’s difficult to imagine any team trading anything of value (read: anything at all) for Rajon Rondo.
