Chicago Bulls Trade Rumors: Rajon Rondo Wants To Be Dealt To New York Knicks?


Chicago Bulls trade rumors indicate that Rajon Rondo wants to play for another team. The Bulls have relegated Rondo to the bench, frustrating the former All-Star point guard to the point of meeting with general manager Gar Forman. A report by Yahoo! Sports on Sunday (Jan. 1) provides more details about the situation, including quotes from Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg and from other writers on the situation developing in Chicago.

Rondo first got benched in the second half of a game against the Indiana Pacers and then remained on the bench in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night (Dec. 31). The two losses dropped the Bulls, losers of seven of their last 10 games, to just 16-18 on the season. In the updated NBA standings, the Bulls are now tenth place in the Eastern Conference, 10 games behind the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Chicago Bulls trade rumors don’t come as a surprise to many NBA analysts, as predictions continue to be made about Rajon Rondo not fitting in with the franchise. Rondo signed a two-year, $27.4 million contract with the team as a free agent, hoping to take the spot of Derrick Rose as the starting point guard. Rose had previously been traded to the New York Knicks, a team that Rondo had hoped to sign with during the off-season.

[Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]

In 29 games (all starts) with the Bulls this season, Rondo is playing 30.2 minutes a night, averaging 7.2 points, 7.1 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals. Rondo is shooting just 36.9 percent from the field, though, and is also averaging 2.8 turnovers per game. Add in his 32.7 percent shooting from three-point range and his 54.2 percent mark from the free throw line, and the struggles become very clear.

It would be an understatement to say that Rondo has been struggling with the Bulls and even less surprising that drama has developed between him and the team. This is a familiar tale with Rondo and a reason he has played with so many teams over the past three NBA seasons.

Rondo began the 2014-15 NBA season with the Boston Celtics before getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks. The following season he would play with the Sacramento Kings and has now joined the Chicago Bulls. This is all after getting selected by the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Draft before being traded to the Celtics.

Over nine NBA seasons, Rajon Rondo has career averages of 10.8 points, 8.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. Those are really good numbers for a starting point guard, which is why he continues to get job offers during the offseason. Rondo had been hoping to sign with either the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets most recently but settled for the two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls.

[Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

Now that the Bulls are starting to really struggle, many NBA trade rumors have come up about the team and players that could be sent out of town before the NBA trade deadline in February. Rondo is certainly one of those assets that could be playing for another team soon, especially if the Bulls continue to lose games and the team can find a destination to send him to. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg spoke about a discussion he had with Rondo about his minutes.

“He was great, very professional. We talked about accepting whatever role he has and helping our guys stay ready. I was proud of how he handled the situation (Friday night in Indiana). He was cheering for the guys from the bench and talking to them when they came out for rotational reasons. That is very admirable for a guy who has had the type of career he has had. I know he’ll be ready when he’s called upon. It’s just the decision we decided to go with to see if we can change the flow of our team.”

So where will these latest Rajon Rondo trade rumors lead? If the team has decided that Rondo is not a good fit, there may already be phone calls taking place behind the scenes to find another franchise who will take him on. The current roster isn’t playing well, so it could be time for the front office to shake things up a bit. If Rondo remains on the bench, fans should expect more Chicago Bulls trade rumors to surface in the coming days and weeks.

[Featured Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]

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