Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo rumors? Something has gone wrong

There was a plan.

Maybe there still is for the Bulls.

That just seemed hard to grasp by Day 2 of free agency.

In trading Derrick Rose to New York last week, general manager Gar Forman insisted the deal was made with a very specific purpose in mind.

“Retooling,’’ not rebuilding was stressed by Forman.

“Our plan moving forward is we feel like we need to get younger, we feel like we need to get more athletic,’’ Forman said. “Obviously we need to find players that will fit the style of play that [coach] Fred [Hoiberg] wants to play. In making this trade we feel it’s the first step in that direction.’’

OK, reasonable.

But all of that fell out the window as soon as the market bell rang, and by Saturday afternoon, the Bulls were rumored to be in the mix for the likes of Rajon Rondo, 30, and Dwyane Wade, 34. Plan B? Desperation after losing out on E’Twaun Moore and the realization of never having a chance at Joakim Noah? Or maybe Forman was just selling untruths.

Not the first time he would have done that this offseason – see draft night and all the Jimmy Butler trade talk that supposedly never existed.

Either way, what the last week has shown is the Bulls are not a team that is improving. If anything, they are taking several steps back with the hope that a large payroll for the summer of 2017 will net them two maximum players to go along with Jimmy Butler and Robin Lopez, as well as the likes of Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis and Doug McDermott.

One major problem with that train of thought – when has this front office ever landed a big-name free agent? It’s been Pau Gasol and really a bunch of consolation prizes after that. That’s the uphill battle plaguing the organization.

Meanwhile, the rest of the playoff teams from the Eastern Conference have either stayed the course or improved, which means possibly a few more draft lotteries for Forman to try and “retool’’ with.

Here are the eight hurdles the Bulls have to deal with, and there could be more before free agency is over:

1. Cleveland – LeBron James and Co. are now the defending champs, and no one seems poised to knock The King off of his throne in the East anytime soon.

2. Toronto – Kept DeMar DeRozan in place, and even the loss of Bismack Biyombo doesn’t weaken them very much.

3. Miami – Never count Pat Riley out of anything. Gar/Pax could learn a few lessons from Riley when it comes to the art of the “retool.’’

4. Atlanta – Kept Kent Bazemore and then went out and nabbed Dwight Howard. An interesting roster, as Dennis Schroder is now the main point guard.

5. Boston – Was almost too cute for their own good on draft night in trying to land a proven veteran player, but still a playoff team with a lot of talent, especially in the backcourt.

6. Charlotte – Definitely in going-for-it mode, spending money and draft picks to keep Nicolas Batum on the roster and add a shooter like Marco Belinelli.

7. Indiana – Maybe the biggest facelift in the East right now, and a team that is definitely pushing forward with the addition of both Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young.

8. Detroit – Kept their big-ticket item in Andre Drummond, and again seem prepared to be a playoff team yet again.