Chicago Bulls Rumors: The Bulls are reportedly shopping point guard Rajon Rondo and power forward Nikola Mirotic.
Chicago Bulls rumors are going to run rampant in the coming weeks. With the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline quickly approaching, the Bulls have to decide which direction they want to head in. It is something that the team is still having internal debates about, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
Fridell reports that “there continues to be a debate within the organization about whether to press the button on a full-scale rebuild.” That is something that will be decided in the coming weeks. But, for now, the Bulls are ready to part with some pieces.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls are shopping point guard Rajon Rondo and power forward Nikola Mirotic. Both players have had disappointing 2016-17 seasons and the Bulls are looking to move both players as a result.
"“Obviously, you knew that would be the case with Rondo,” one source told the Sun-Times. “But [the Bulls] don’t like what they’re hearing back on [Mirotic], either. Then again, that’s a [front office] that tends to overvalue its assets.”"
As the source states, it is no surprise that the Bulls are receiving less value on the market than they had hoped. Teams are not going to come out with their best offer right away; there will be some haggling and back-and-forth going on. But the performance of both players will not help the Bulls’ case.
Rondo signed a two-year, $27 million deal with the Bulls as a free agent. He had hoped his performance with the Sacramento Kings last season would help pump his value back up. He was met with a relatively cold market and signed with the Bulls.
The fit always seemed a little awkward and that has proven true. Rondo is putting together arguably the worst season of his career. He is shooting a career-worst 35.9 percent from the field. He is playing 28.1 minutes per game, averaging only 6.7 assists per game as well.
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That is more than enough to sap a player’s value on the trade market. Add in the fact that Rondo has been benched at times by Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls will likely find very few suitors for him. Rondo has been known as a difficult player to work with and that seems to be the case in Chicago as well.
Mirotic’s lack of interest on the trade market is a little more surprising. Mirotic will be only 26 years old in February, but he is also struggling this season. His struggles have taken some of the shine off him, as he looked to be a building block for the Bulls.
They seem to have changed their tone by seeing what they can get for him in a trade. Like Rondo, it may be difficult to sell him to a team with his struggles on the court. Mirotic is averaging a career-low 9.3 points per game in large part to his lowered shooting percentage.
Mirotic is shooting only 38.7 percent overall from the field and 31.1 percent from deep. Those are not the shooting numbers you want to see from someone labeled as a stretch power forward.
Whatever the Bulls decide to do at the trade deadline this season will impact the future of the team. Veteran Dwyane Wade has questioned if he wants to return to Chicago next season as he does not want to be a part of a rebuild.
Next: Chicago Bulls Midseason Report Card
With Jimmy Butler in the fold, the Bulls can be a competitive team. But, will he stay in the fold? If the Bulls go into a full blown rebuild, Butler will probably be someone on the move. What Chicago does in the coming weeks could set the table for bigger moves in the offseason.