Bulls agree to two-year, $30 million deal with Rajon Rondo
The Chicago Bulls continued their franchise-altering offseason on Sunday by agreeing to a two-year, $30 million deal with Rajon Rondo, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told Paste BN Sports' Sam Amick.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be signed until the NBA's free agency moratorium lifts on July 7.
Two weeks after dealing franchise point guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, the Bulls signed Rondo to fill a sizable gap in their backcourt. He led the NBA with 11.7 assists per game and averaged just under 12 points in 72 games last season with the Sacramento Kings. Despite his numbers, the Kings finished just 33-49 and were eight games out of the playoffs.
Part of the Bulls' thinking in dealing Rose for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon was that Rose couldn't co-exist on the court with the team's other franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler. Rondo, 30, is a pass-first guard who has no problem running and playing off the ball.
He could be an upgrade in Fred Hoiberg's offensive system, but there will no doubt be an interesting dynamic in Chicago between the coach and his starting point guard. Rondo has a reputation for clashing with coaches, and Hoiberg, who struggled to communicate with his locker room at times during his rookie season last year, may have to navigate possible pitfalls.
Aside from trading Rose and losing Joakim Noah to free agency, they also lost E'Twaun Moore, a gritty guard who showed significant growth this past season. Rondo can help stabilize the offense in the short term, but the Bulls are still clearly in rebuilding mode.