Chicago Bulls: 3 reasons Dwyane Wade’s summer matters
Rajon Rondo = $13.4 million
As surprising as Wade joining the Bulls was, Rondo also shocked the league when he announced he would be heading to Chicago.
Besides the fact that he did not fit management’s plan of going younger and more athletic, he had a reputation for being quite hot-headed — something that seemed like the last thing the organization would want to deal with, given how much locker room drama transpired between Jimmy Butler and the duo of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
But fast forward to the playoffs and it is clear just how valuable of an asset the 31-year-old really is.
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Having averaged 11.5 points, 10.0 assists and 8.5 rebounds a game in the first two matchups against the Celtics, the guard led his 8-seed team to a 2-0 start against No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics. The Bulls were only the second ever eighth spot squad to win the first two games of a playoff series.
With that being said, it seems obvious that general manager Gar Forman and vice president John Paxson would want to keep Rondo around, and they have all but confirmed that. However, re-signing Rondo does come with a $13.4 million price tag. It’s a deal that they can afford, but it does eat up a significant part of their salary.
Even more so if Chicago also has to shell out almost $24 million to Wade.
However, if Wade decides to seek greener pastures, the Bulls will have much more flexibility, and not just financially either. They can happily give Rondo his $13.4 million, have roughly $27 million left over and move Jimmy Butler back to shooting guard, allowing room for a new forward to make his way onto the team.
And speaking of Butler…