Should the Knicks trade Derrick Rose?
With the trade deadline less than 48 hours away the rumor mill is heating up and the Knicks appear to be very active as Thursday approaches. Carmelo Anthony is the biggest trade chip the Knicks have to offer, but a deal is still unlikely due to Melo's no-trade clause despite all the drama over the past month. Brandon Jennings and Kyle O'Quinn are two other names who could draw some interest, but the most likely Knick to be dealt come 3 PM Thursday is Derrick Rose.
The Rose experiment in New York has sadly been a disaster. Things were going well when the Knicks started the season 14-10. Rose was playing well putting up solid numbers and proving he still had plenty of explosiveness left in the tank. However, things took a turn in early January as the team began to struggle and Rose abandoned his team without explanation before their game on January 9th against the Pelicans. Things have only gotten worse for Rose and the team since then as the team has dropped out of playoff contention and now hold a 23-34 record.
Rose continues to put up decent offensive numbers and sneaks in a couple flashy layups every game, but Knicks fans are getting tired of watching the former MVP. Besides his play on the court he doesn't seem fully invested into being a Knick or playing with the passion Knick fans desire to see. It's the same old act for Rose and nothing he's doing is going to make this team any better by season's end. His defense has been awful, he doesn't shoot threes, and he's hurt the development of Kristaps Porzingis with his score first style of play from the point guard position. Rose has turned out to be a very flawed player in his time in New York which makes you wonder why would any team be interested in acquiring Rose for the rest of the season?
The main reason is his expiring contract. Expiring deals are very attractive in the NBA because of the cap space they can clear for free agency. Derrick Rose is in the last year of his deal where he will make $21 million. Combine that with Rose's ability to still score and finish at the rim and he could provide a nice offensive boost to a roster.
Despite his flaws there is one team that apparently has serious interest in trading for Rose before the deadline. Rose's former coach Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves are the team to watch to trade for Rose in the next few days according to an ESPN report.
So what could the Knicks get from the T'Wolves for Rose? They main rumor in play is a player for player swap involving Rose and Ricky Rubio. Rubio has been on the block all season and seems to be on his way out by Thursday whether he lands with the Knicks or not. Rubio still has two years left on his contract at around $13 million annually, but he's a terrific passer who could be a nice match for Kristaps Porzingis. Rubio averages 9 points a game and is a below average shooter, but his 8.4 assists per game are something the Knicks could really use. He is also a solid perimeter defender which is an area Rose and the rest of the Knicks have struggled in all year.
If I'm the Knicks I lean toward doing this deal. Rubio's cap hit the next two years isn't ideal, but he is a terrific distributor which is something this offense could really use to go with Melo and KP. The Knicks were getting zero three point shooting from the point guard position to begin with so why not get a different point guard who's a great and willing passer who can also defend better than Rose. The Knicks aren't signing a franchise point guard this summer. If anything they could get lucky and strike gold with one in the draft if they fall into the lottery of one of the deepest drafts in years. Rubio isn't the answer, but he could be a nice piece moving forward until they do find that franchise point guard.
Rose is still a solid offensive player in the league, but his time has run out in New York. He's a bad fit for this team and he doesn't have a future with this team. There is zero chance the Knicks are resigning him this summer so they should do whatever they have to do to get rid of him if they have a chance to bring something valuable back in return.
