Rajon Rondo watched from the bench as the Chicago Bulls beat the defending champion Cavaliers again on Wednesday night in Cleveland. It marked the third straight DNP-Coach’s Decision for the veteran point guard. How quickly things can change. Just a little over a month ago, Rondo posted a triple double in the Bulls’ 111-105 triumph over the champs at the United Center. Now, the talk around town is that Rondo wants to be traded if the benching continues.
Despite being shorthanded in the backcourt with Dwyane Wade and Denzel Valentine both missing recent games, coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t budged on the benching of his $14 million point guard. He believes that Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant should both get minutes before Rondo. Either that or he’s following instructions from above. Unfortunately for Rondo, his bosses in the front office haven’t been quite as clear regarding his future with the team.
If Gar Forman and John Paxson have agreed that signing Rondo was a swing and a miss, they should try everything they can to get something for him in a trade before the deadline next month. Easier said than done, I know. The assumed problem is finding any interested suitors for Rondo.
Rival Dealings
But just like that, a potential trade partner may have surfaced. And it’s a team the Bulls know all too well. According to a Hoop Central report from earlier today, the Cavaliers are interested in bringing in Rondo as their backup to Kyrie Irving.
Report: The Cavs are looking at Rajon Rondo and Mario Chalmers for a potential backup point guard role.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 5, 2017
It makes sense. The floor spacing issue Rondo has on this current Bulls roster wouldn’t be present in Cleveland, where they have plenty of shooters. And the Cavaliers could really benefit from having a legitimate veteran backup behind Irving, especially when the playoffs roll around. Right now, those duties belong to rookie (2nd round selection) Kay Felder. There’s also Jordan McRae and DeAndre Diggins, but they’re both shooting guard more than point guard.
Competition
The hangup that should have Bulls fans pumping the breaks of their excitement, however, is the other name mentioned alongside Rondo. Mario Chalmers is nearing a return from the torn Achilles he suffered last season. He is a free agent, and LeBron James will almost certainly tell Cleveland’s front office to bring him in for a visit. The two played (and won two titles) together in Miami not too long ago. Chalmers may have been James’ punching bag at times, but there’s still a level of familiarity and trust between championship teammates.
Speaking of championship teammates, Norris Cole also played with LeBron and the Heat when they went back to back in 2012 and 2013. Cole is almost fully recovered from a hamstring injury and could also draw interest from the Cavs. Then there’s veteran point guard Jarrett Jack, who is reportedly holding an open workout sometime soon for teams interested in his services. He’s making a comeback from torn ligaments in his right knee last season.
So the Bulls will have a good amount of competition if they want to move Rondo to Cleveland, and actually get something in return. There’s also the possibility that the Cavs will just wait for the Bulls and Rondo to agree on a buyout and pursue him after that. The more logical choice for the Cavaliers is to sign one of the aforementioned free agents, particularly one of LeBron’s former teammates. On the bright side, if the Bulls’ division rivals are at least looking at Rondo, that could mean more teams will start to look his way too.
