National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Phil Jackson Explains The Derrick Rose Trade

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks surprised the masses by trading for point guard Derrick Rose. Team president Phil Jackson explained the reasoning behind the move.

The New York Knicks were expected to make a splash in free agency. The process of turning heads began before July 1, however, as team president Phil Jackson orchestrated a trade for 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose.

It was a polarizing move, but Jackson’s explanation has provided invaluable insight into his thought process at the time in question.

Jackson sent Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, and Robin Lopez to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Rose, Justin Holiday, and a 2017 second-round draft pick. The results are still being evaluated, but there’s certainly reason for intrigue.

According to Jackie MacMullan of ESPN’s TrueHoop Network, Jackson’s decision to trade for Rose was influenced by the money Mike Conley was destined to make.

“Mike Conley was the best choice as a free agent, but he’s making $30 million a year. That’s almost insane. We saw that was going to happen. We had the opportunity to play with Derrick and see if he does have enough left in the tank — he’s 27 years old — before we have to get into that (free) agent market again. It gave us an opportunity to build a team around him, Carmelo and Kris (Porzingis).”

For those unfamiliar, Conley signed a five-year contract worth $152,605,576—the most lucrative deal in NBA history.

Conley would’ve been a wonderful fit in New York, but his contract would’ve consumed a vast majority of the Knicks’ cap space. He would’ve been signed for less than $152 million, but the per season margin wouldn’t have been too drastic.

Instead, New York traded for Rose and still possessed the cap space to sign Joakim Noah.

Through nine games, Rose has been a quality member of the Knicks. He’s averaging 16.0 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game while posting a slash line of .452/.273/.864.

Rose needs to improve his consistency from beyond the arc and cut down on turnovers, but he’s been otherwise solid and efficient.

For what it’s worth, the Knicks are 4.8 points per 100 possessions better with Rose on the floor than without him. The same can’t be said for Holiday, but he’s flashed the potential of a quality third or fourth guard.

As for the long-term, Rose will be a free agent in 2017, which could lead to his commanding a lucrative salary of his own.

Rather than being locked into a four-year deal worth upwards of $25 million per season, however, Jackson has another year to determine the future of the point guard position.