Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap could end up playing for new teams soon with speculations of a looming trades. Rondo has been seeing minimal to none playing time while Millsap’s impending free agency plans are seen as the chief reasons for the potential NBA trade deals.
Rajon Rondo has been taken out of the starting lineup with coach Fred Hoiberg opting to go with Michael Carter-Williams. But the eye-opener here is seeing the all-star guard not playing at all in recent games.
Rondo has hardly proven he is worth that $27.5 million contract despite his colorful resume. His stock with the Bulls started to dip ever since that controversial argument with associate head coach Jim Boylen. That led to a suspension and things just haven’t been the same for the 30-year-old guard.
Fred Hoiberg claims that he and Rondo already talked about the current situation, the Chicago Tribune reported. He adds that Rondo was pretty professional about it though long spells on the bench hint at a possible departure. For one thing, the Bulls are not fine with throwing away $14 million this season for nothing.
The same goes for Rondo who would rather play than watch his teammates from the bench. Add both up and the end-result is a looming departure that will likely take place before the February NBA trade deadline.
As for Millsap, the situation is a bit different. The Atlanta Hawks are making sure that they don’t end up empty-handed after the 2016 NBA season.
Millsap is expected to join a frenzied 2017 free agent class with hopes of getting higher pay. Apparently, the Hawks don’t want a repeat of how they lost Al Horford who ended up signing with the Boston Celtics.
Aside from Millsap, the Hawks are also listening to trade pitches for Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha, ESPN reported. Of the three, Korver and/or Sefolosha could move ahead with Atlanta reportedly wanting too much in exchange for Millsap.
Millsap is understandably more valuable, being a three-time all-star. As far as leaving Atlanta is concerned, the 31-year-old power forward has not made up his mind on what to do this Summer.
Check out the video below showing Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg explaining the Rajon Rondo situation.