When the Chicago Bulls signed veteran point guard Rajon Rondo last July to a two-year deal with a team option and a small buyout for the final year, the odds of Rondo still wearing a Bulls uniform for a second straight year never looked very good. The original plan was for Rondo to serve as a coach and mentor on the floor for a young, rebuilding Bulls team.

When Rajon Rondo came into the team, Fred Hoiberg talked about putting him in charge of the ball and giving him the majority of the decision in making play calls, distributing the ball and finding teammates in spots where they could be most effective. However, according to CSN Chicago, that all changed when the Bulls managed to acquire 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade after his negotiations for a contract extension in Miami fell apart.

The addition of the 34-year-old Wade has now placed two two ball-dominant players in the lineup alongside Rajon Rondo. After experiencing some early success, the Bulls' offense got shut down with poor floor spacing and way too many isolations play that stagnated the ball completely.

As a result, Rajon Rondo was taken out of the starting lineup late December and fell completely out of the Bulls' rotation. At that point, it seemed like it's only a matter of time before the Bulls bought Rondo out of the rest of his contract.

However, things didn't go as planned yet again, as a funny thing happened that stopped Rajon Rondo from leaving the team. In a series of events, the Bulls decided to keep him just in case his $14 million salary-cap would come useful in a possible trade.

After watching point guards Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant fail to establish themselves as the Bulls' starting point guard, Hoiberg eventually decided to return Rajon Rondo into the rotation. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Bulls could still use Rondo's quickness to push the pace with a second unit that features a number of young players like Nikola Mirotic, Denzel Valentine, and Cris Felicio.

As of the moment, Rajon Rondo's fate on the team is still shaky. With the team looking to rebuild they could either keep Rondo and let him be a mentor for the younger Bulls players, or trade him in exchange for a far more useful piece in the rotation.

Related