The NBA free agency had most of the big fish being snagged with Golden State taking the prize named Kevin Durant.
The Chicago Bulls also ended their quest for a starting point guard. They traded Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks and now they signed one of his arch rivals, Rajon Rondo.
A lot has changed since Rondo and Rose had their classic duel in the NBA Playoffs. Both of them fell from grace due to injuries and for Rondo, teammates departing and trades.
Rondo would be a polarizing presence in Chicago and the move to sign him was (as expected) met with criticism. One of the interesting sidelights to watch for is how Rondo would get along with the Bulls' new designated alpha dog Jimmy Butler.
"If Jimmy Butler was unhappy about his not being universally acknowledged as Chicago's main man, he'll be even more distressed next season," said Charley Rosen of Today's Fast Break.
He noted that Rondo's league-leading assists numbers (11.9 per game) are "misleading." It hurts the team more because Rondo doesn't pass to initiate a play, but instead ribbles and dribbles, and often drives, but won't make a pass until the recipient is wide open."
This development could push the envelope on the Jimmy Butler trade, specifically to the Boston Celtics who were close. Boston is expected to revisit the trade after their free agency coup was incomplete. They got Al Horford but failed to convince Kevin Durant. They would want a star to complement Horford and try to contend.
It was already discussed in Hoops Habit and despite the negative outcome of forming a big three with Durant and Butler, bringing Horford and Butler together along with the young players that Boston has collected is a huge step forward.
With the recent Rajon Rondo signing seemingly a recipe for disaster, the trade may not be consummated this summer but early in the season. The Bulls failed to improve their team in free agency and if they stumble at the gate, they could agree to trade Butler on more reasonable terms. Perhaps Marcus Smart, Amir Johnson and the 2018 Brooklyn pick.