Well it finally happened, hometown hero and former NBA MVP Derrick Rose has been traded to the New York Knicks. The Knicks will be sending Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant to the Chicago Bulls, who are shipping Justin Holiday, Rose, and a 2017 second-round pick back to New York, sources told ESPN.
Taking number one overall back in the 2008 NBA draft, Rose once had a very promising career. Winning Rookie of the Year and then following up that strong rookie campaign with an MVP season, Rose was on the fast track to becoming a Chicago legend when it all came crashing down in the 2012 playoffs. Rose tore the ACL in his knee in the 2012 playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers and never was able to fully recover from that tumultuous injury. Since missing the entire 2012-13 season he has only played in 39 percent of possible NBA games causing many people to think he will never return to MVP form.
Rose is coming off one of his worst seasons, production wise, for the Chicago Bulls. The former All Star averaged only 16.4 points per game and 4.7 assists per game in 66 games with Chicago. The most frustrating part is watching Rose play. Known for his explosiveness and fearless drives to the basket, the star point guard is much less prone to getting to the rim and instead relies on his outside shot. The thing about Rose is that his main production comes from his highlight plays at the basket. When he doesn’t get to the hoop as much, his shot struggles, and that is a prevalent issue with his playing style.
Due to be paid 21 million dollars next year, Rose is on the last year of his 5-year, 94 million dollar contract that he signed with the Bulls back in 2012. He will be an unrestricted free agent following this next season, allowing the Knicks to test him out in their system for a year before deciding whether or not they want to resign him to a new offer. Rose is currently 27 years old and with a history of being extremely injury prone, it will be interesting to see if he succeeds in this new situation in New York. He will enjoy the company of playing next to perennial All Star Carmelo Anthony along with the now sophomore phenom Kristaps Porzingis.
All things, at some point, must come to an end. This transaction can be seen as a relatively safe trade for Chicago, who although definitely upset their fanbase, made the smart basketball decision by dealing Rose when they could. The Bulls received some nice young talent in Jerian Grant while also grabbing established veterans Robin Lopez and Jose Calderon who can either start or come off the bench at the team’s discretion.
This is the start of a very interesting off season for the NBA. With a ton of all star talent entering free agency it will be a fun time seeing what plays out this summer. Anything can happen and I can’t wait to see what he does.