Report: Rajon Rondo met with the Bulls, still interested in Kings
Would signing Rajon Rondo mean the Bulls are trying to win or trying to subtly tank?
By
Zach Harper
•
1 min read
With Mike Conley sticking around in Memphis on the biggest contract in NBA history and Jeremy Lin signing in Brooklyn on the first day of free agency, the point guard market is getting pretty thin this summer. The Chicago Bulls moved Derrick Rose before the NBA Draft, and have Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant filling out their depth chart at the position. They could use a more reliable lead guard to help Jimmy Butler out (assuming they keep him and/or are actually trying to win), so they may be turning to a veteran point guard who has fallen on tougher times recently.
Marc Spears and Marc Stein of ESPN are reporting that Rajon Rondo met with the Bulls on Friday. The Sacramento Kings' free agent is also interested in a return to Sacramento to keep playing with DeMarcus Cousins, but with the Bulls needing a point guard, they may make a move to bring the veteran aboard.
Rajon Rondo indeed had a free-agent meeting today with the Bulls in Chicago, league sources tell @MarcJSpears and me
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 1, 2016
Along with Bulls, Rajon Rondo had previous interest in Knicks & Nets but both have landed PGs. RR also open minded about Kings-Cuz reunion.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 1, 2016
The question becomes whether Rondo is still a difference-maker in the NBA. He's struggled since his ACL injury years ago, and was so bad from a personality and production standpoint in Dallas that the Mavericks got rid of him in the middle of a playoff series. His time in Sacramento saw him put up nice individual numbers by averaging a double-double, but his impact on the team was a net negative. There's a lot of questioning whether that's ultimately his fault with how bad, inconsistent and dysfunctional the Kings were last season, but he was, at least, a horrendous defender in a bad defensive system.
So would the Bulls adding Rondo actually help them win games or just appear to help them win games while they secretly try to get a higher draft pick to rebuild/retool quickly around Butler? You can sell casual fans on Rondo's numbers and he'll give you enough highlights with his passing to wow the crowd. But it's not a definite thing that a Rondo addition actually helps your team at this point. That all changes if he commits to being a plus-defender again and takes more of a leadership role.
