Rajon Rondo has been rumored to ask for trade after expressing his disappointment with his playing time. The speculation have been circulating for months, but there is no intention from the Bulls to move him. However, the Bulls have not made any move, instead they are reported to begin offering the power forward Nikola Mirotic.
The report about trade offer for both Rondo and Mirotic was reported by Chicago Sun Times. The disappointing result from the players in the 2016-17 season has made the management of Chicago Bulls decided to shop booh Rondo and Mirotic.
Rondo has been benched since Dec. 30 in the game against Indiana Pacers. During that 101-111 loss, Rondo played for 11 minutes without making any points and only deliver one assist. Following his disappointing performance, coach Fred Hoiberg put Michael Carter-Williams in the starting line-up and benched Rondo.
The 30-year old point guard has the lowest point of his career this season. Averaging only 6.3 points with 6.7 assists, it was far below his prime performance as the four-time consecutive All-Star player from 2010 to 2013 with more than 10 points and assists per game. Even last season with the Kings, he could average 11.9 points and 11.7 assists per game.
While Mirotic has been showing a disappointing game this season. In his third season with the Bulls, the Montenegro forward averages 9.3 points with 5.4 rebounds in 22.5 minutes.
This has been a setback for Mirotic who played an impressive first season with 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in average. He even made to the 2014-15 All-Rookie Team. However, he didn’t make much development in the next two seasons, while his efficiency rating dropped to the lowest mark as reported by Bleacher Report .
Following low performance from both players the Bulls look forward to move them to other team. However, since their value already diminish, the market value for them are low and there are low demand for both Mirotic and Rondo.
Watch the NBA Daily Show “The Starter” on Jan. 2, discussing the possibility of trade for Rondo below:
