Could the Los Angeles Clippers consider signing free agent point guard and former MVP Derrick Rose in free agency?
Derrick Rose may not be the MVP superstar that he once was, but he showed flashes of that version of himself last season with the New York Knicks. Despite going down with yet another season-ending injury, Rose is expected to receive a lot of interest in free agency this offseason.
First of all, signing Rose would be a backup plan if Chris Paul chose to leave the Los Angeles Clippers. If Paul were to make a decision to leave the Clippers before Rose signed elsewhere, L.A. could consider pursuing him. As of right now, there is no set expected market value for Rose, but it would be reasonable to assume that he will get a contract worth between $15-20 million per season.
If that price holds true, the Clippers would need Paul to sign elsewhere quickly to free up cap room and make point guard a position of need. L.A. would also likely have to renounce J.J. Redick's $11 million cap hold in order to be able to afford Rose's contract.
Now, if those things happen, Rose could be exactly what the doctor ordered to help L.A. move past the loss of Paul.
Last season with the New York Knicks, Rose averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in 64 games. He shot 47.1 percent from the field overall and knocked down 87.4 percent of his free throw attempts. Perhaps the most promising sign of Rose getting back to form and getting to the basket frequently was his 4.0 free throw attempts per game, which is his highest number since the 2011-12 season.
Rose does not have a similar skill-set to Paul and is not known as a floor general. He has always been known as a scorer and playmaker, all the way back to his MVP days in Chicago.
L.A. will not find another point guard like Paul if he does choose to leave. The production that he has put up over the past six seasons was special. Rose would not be coming in to replace that production, he would come in looking to change the way the Clippers' offense runs.
While Paul was a great leader on the court and a true point guard, Rose would pick up the pace of the offense and would run and gun a lot more. He would be more fearless going to the rim, although the Clippers would lose a lot of perimeter shooting from Paul to Rose, as Rose shot just 21.7 percent from behind the arc compared to Paul's 41.1 percent.
At 28 years old, Rose is still a bit of a risky signing due to his history of season-ending injuries. He has found it difficult to stay on the court with consistency since tearing his ACL for the first time. L.A. might shy away from him due to those issues, but a healthy Rose showed last season that he is still capable of the dynamic offense that once made him one of the most feared players in the NBA.
Blake Griffin's future in Los Angeles is still very much up for debate as well. He is set to hit free agency and if Paul leaves without a sizable replacement, L.A. would likely lose Griffin too. Rose might be just enough to convince Griffin that the Clippers can still compete in the West.
The Timberwolves view Derrick Rose as a potential free-agent target this summer, according to league sources: https://t.co/8uAhzkGKhB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 24, 2017
All of that being said, Rose is going to have interest from quite a few different teams. Ian Begley, an NBA analyst for ESPN, has mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs as teams that could have interest in signing Rose this offseason.
Rose to Minnesota would make a lot of sense, due to his connections with head coach Tom Thibodeau. San Antonio is always a hard team to turn down in free agency as well. L.A. will have their work cut out for them if they want to sign Rose, should Paul walk in free agency.
Everything comes back to Chris Paul for the Clippers and nothing will happen with them until they figure out what their franchise point guard is doing. Hopefully, Paul will make a decision early enough that the Clippers can still pick somebody like Rose up.
Do you think the Los Angeles Clippers should pursue Derrick Rose if Chris Paul walks in free agency? If not Rose, who do you think they should target to replace Paul if they have to go that route? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!
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