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Derrick Rose
Mar 22, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) dribbles up the court during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into 2017 NBA free agency, which teams might consider signing the injury-prone Derrick Rose? Here's a look at five potential destinations.
For those Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks diehards still living in 2011, it's time for an unfortunate newsflash: Derrick Rose is not a very good basketball player anymore.
Heading into 2017 NBA free agency, you can expect his impending contract negotiations to reflect that during his unrestricted free agency.
Whether it's because of his latest season-ending knee injury, the negative headlines that have hovered overhead for years now, the projected NBA salary cap shrinking from $102 million to $99 million, or the fact that Rose is no longer a star player, any max deal the former MVP once envisioned couldn't be further from reality.
To be fair, Rose isn't completely washed up. Last season in New York, he averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. He shot a respectable 47.1 percent from the field and can still penetrate past the outer layer of defenses to create for himself and for others.
However, his three-point shot is a bigger Achilles heel than Rose's heels (and probably knees) that may as well have been borrowed from Achilles himself. Rose shot a putrid 21.7 percent from deep last year, and even though he only attempted 0.9 of them per game, his defense would have made bullfighters proud and the off-court distractions made him a bigger headache than he was worth.
The question is, as he approaches free agency this summer, which teams have a need at point guard dire enough to consider investing in a risky proposition like Rose? At a discounted rate, Rose could be a quality backup or even a serviceable starter in the right environment, so here's a look at five teams that might not be deterred by all the baggage.
Derrick Rose
Dec 30, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) drives past New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
5. New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans will make re-signing Jrue Holiday their No. 1 priority in free agency, but that may be more difficult than expected.
ESPN's Zach Lowe reported in January that the team was worried Holiday might walk in free agency and upset Anthony Davis over the direction of the franchise, and according to WDSU's Fletcher Mackel, Holiday will fully test free agency, which has the Pelicans front office "unhappy" with the situation.
If Holiday bolts, there's a possibility better options like Kyle Lowry and George Hill or even fallback options like Jeff Teague and Patty Mills could be scooped up by then. If that's the case, D-Rose wouldn't be the worst last resort on a shorter, more team-friendly deal.
The prospect of uniting three John Calipari products would've been tantalizing back in Rose's glory days, but at this point in his career, there'd be a legitimate concern about his facilitation and whether there'd be enough touches to go around now that Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are far superior options on offense.
However, Rose's value lies in his deal potentially being a cheaper, "prove it" contract in the event New Orleans can't re-sign Holiday or recruit another star floor general in his stead. NOLA wants to make the playoffs next season; Rose might be the closest thing to helping them get there among that middle tier of mediocre free agent point guards.
Derrick Rose
Jan 7, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the second quarter of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
4. Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are on the edge of the rebuild precipice, and the moment Paul George is finally traded, they'll take the leap off a cliff. When that happens, overpaying to retain unrestricted free agent Jeff Teague will hardly be a priority.
If the Pacers can get a former star like Rose at a discounted rate compared to the other big-name point guards hitting free agency this summer, why not? Sure, it'd be a cheap attempt to put butts in the seats during a rebuild, but it's not the worst option as long as the contract isn't too long or costly.
Looking up and down the Pacers' roster, there's hardly a young point guard that needs grooming. Myles Turner would still be the clear focal point of the rebuild, but Rose would get another chance to revitalize his value playing for a team devoid of offensive weapons and take some of the pressure off Turner to do everything himself.
Now, some Pacers fans may groan at the thought of Rose taking 15+ shots a night, and justifiably so. But outside of Teague, who would be more expensive to re-sign, the Pacers don't have a single capable point guard on the roster. Is signing Rose to a two- or three-year deal to bridge the gap between now and the team's next franchise point guard really such a terrible option?
Derrick Rose
Feb 12, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
3. San Antonio Spurs
For God only knows what reason (and by God I mean Gregg Popovich), the San Antonio Spurs are legitimately considering the ghost of Derrick Rose in free agency. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Spurs had a strong interest in both Chris Paul and D-Rose.
Is that still the case after drafting Derrick White? Was this just the world's worst smokescreen as the Spurs prepared to chase Chris Paul? Or do they legitimately want Rose as a starting-caliber point guard to fill in for the injured Tony Parker and take the pressure off a 20-year-old Dejounte Murray and the rookie White?
It's hard to say, but perhaps — as always seems to be the case — Pop knows something we don't. Rose was far from useless on the offensive end last year, and if any organization could salvage his on-court value at age 28, it'd be the Spurs.
The off-court distractions would need to fall by the wayside with a no-nonsense franchise like the Spurs, but now that Paul is out of commission, if those reports are accurate and he's willing to take a discount, Derrick Rose may have just become San Antonio's top point guard target in free agency. (Somehow though, this just seems too nonsensical to be based in reality.)
Derrick Rose
Aug 15, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; USA guard Derrick Rose (right) talks with assistant coach Tom Thibodeau during practice at Quest MultiSport Complex. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler didn't exactly flourish in their last stint together with the Chicago Bulls, but if there's one thing we know about Tom Thibodeau, it's that he loves his former players.
Remember, it was only a few months ago that reports of a Derrick Rose-Ricky Rubio trade were floating around. To be fair though, it was Thibs and the Minnesota Timberwolves who ultimately turned down a straight up one-for-one trade offer, so this whole Thibodeau-Rose reunion could just be overblown.
The recent trade for Butler would make signing Rose a questionable proposition given their lack of chemistry in the Windy City. To be perfectly honest, one of the best point guard options for a Minnesota team that now boasts three bonafide scorers like Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns is a pass-first, defensive-minded player exactly like Rubio.
However, ESPN's Marc Stein reported after the Butler trade that the Wolves were still pursuing a Rubio trade — albeit in the pursuit of more shooting, which Rose certainly doesn't provide.
This option is more narrative-driven than anything, but with Butler now joining Thibs in Chicago, Rubio being on the block and the Wolves potentially in the hunt for a new point guard, we can't completely rule it out just yet.
Derrick Rose
December 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6), guard Derrick Rose (25), forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and guard Courtney Lee (5) react during the 118-112 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
1. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have been a dumpster fire for decades now, so even if options like Masai Ujiri or David Griffin take Phil Jackson's place in the front office, there have already been reports the team could be open to re-signing Rose.
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Despite missing a game, despite all the off-court drama, despite the season-ending injury and despite the drafting of a potential franchise point guard in Frank Ntilikina, this could definitely still happen.
However, that wouldn't be the end of the world provided that A) Rose is signed to a team-friendly, shorter contract and B) The deal is made with the intention of bringing him off the bench behind the promising young rook. According to ESPN's Ian Begley, the Knicks' interest depends on Rose's knee and his asking price.
Even if he was the team's starting 1-guard, there have been some questions about which position would be best for a combo guard like Ntilikina, so that would give the backcourt some flexibility as well.
That being said, a new front office regime might not be interested in bringing back Rose, and if the Knicks are smart, they'll be starting their young rookie from day one.
As you can see, the free agency options for Derrick Rose aren't exactly great. Aside from being willing to take a discount for a team with no other viable option at point guard, it's hard to see a team signing Rose to a signing deal and not making a monumental mistake in the process.
