2. Rajon Rondo (2016)
Forming the Chicago Bulls’ abbreviated era that would be remembered as the “Three Alphas,” Rajon Rondo signed a two-year deal with the team during the 2016 NBA offseason. In an attempt to bring in a respectable supporting cast around Jimmy Butler, Chicago believed that Rondo would help alleviate some of the playmaking duties from their franchise cornerstone. And, in a way, Rondo did accomplish that.
During the 2016-17 season with the Bulls, Rondo averaged eight points, seven assists, and five rebounds per game on 41 percent shooting from the field. However, with still some hope that Rondo could get back to his All-Star form, that simply didn’t happen. Instead, injuries would once again cut his season short as he missed the final four games of Chicago’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
It was clear that while Rondo was still a productive player at this point in his career, he was not the fit that Chicago needed at the point guard position.
After the decision came to pivot away from the “Three Alphas,” which began with the Bulls trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago soon after waived Rondo, leading him to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans.