Derrick Rose could soon enter the free agent market.
Headed into the 2023-2024 offseason, Rose awaits the decision of the New York Knicks. Rose’s contract for next season is a team option worth 15 million dollars. If the Knicks decide not to pick up the option, Rose will become an unrestricted free agent.
Derrick Rose: A Possible Reunion in Chicago?
The Knicks seem to have found their franchise star point guard in Jalen Brunson and also have a talented young core of guards backing him in Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes.
On top of this young talent at Rose’s position, his former head coach on the Bulls and his current head coach on the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau, have seemed to move on from the former league MVP.
Rose, who was a premiere part of the Knicks’ rotation in the two seasons previous to his 2022-2023 campaign, has now seemingly fallen out of the rotation altogether.
With the combination of no playing time and his coach no longer putting him in the mix, all signs point to the Knicks moving off of the 14-year vet.
What Rose Needs From His Next Team
Rose needs a role on the court.
As great of a mentor as Rose would be for any team without even playing, he needs to be back on the NBA hardwood. He’s a competitor, and he wants to play.
Derrick Rose says he ‘still got a lot left in the tank’
“I still feel like I’m giving them my all. I still feel like I’m getting better. It may sound crazy, but it’s true. I still feel like I’m getting better.”
(Via @MarcJSpears https://t.co/agxG4svXz0) pic.twitter.com/PHT1eSNwTH
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 2, 2023
His athleticism now is a shell of itself compared to his younger years on the Bulls, but he can still be a beneficial player in the league. And he has shown this in the last season he was getting regular playing time in.
In the 2020-2021 season for the Knicks and the Pistons, Rose was averaging 25.6 minutes a game. He put up very respectable numbers this season, averaging 14.7 PPG, 4.2 APG, and shot 38.8 % from three. It was evident that he still had something left in the tank.
And Rose may not be a 25-30-minute game guy anymore, and that’s okay. He just needs to find a team that believes in him and lets him be the great player he always has been while not overusing him.
The ideal fit for him, as he gets later in his career, is being a part of a competitive franchise that would take him in as their backup point guard. A role that would allow Rose to run the offense and not be a secondary ball handler when he is on the floor. And a role that takes less of a toll physically compared to his previous endeavors.
With all this in mind, here are three franchises that would be supreme fits for Rose
Chicago Bulls
As much of a fairytale as it may seem for Rose to end back up in a Chicago Bulls uniform, it could not make more sense.
The Bulls feel like a franchise that are very uncertain about where to go with their future. They have a potential franchise player in Zach Lavine. The question is how they want to go about surrounding him.
The Bulls feel like they can either go one of two ways. Either into a full rebuild and cash in all their assets. Or make one last run with their two current stars in Lavine and DeMar DeRozan. If they choose to have one more go with their two stars, this is where Rose would be an exceptional fit.
The likelihood of Lonzo Ball returning in the 2023-2024 season seems to be slim to none.
The Bulls privately believe that Lonzo Ball will never play again, per @dan_bernstein pic.twitter.com/2TBTkIsFiL
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) May 28, 2023
Along with the uncertainty of Ball’s future, the Bulls have two of their guards now in free agency. These guards are Patrick Beverly and Coby White. Leaving the only other possible guards for Chicago to go to are Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu.
With many holes and questions in the guard department for Chicago, inserting Rose would benefit them greatly.
They would get another on-ball playmaker that they desperately need, especially when DeRozan and Lavine aren’t on the floor. Additionally, they would get a veteran guard who knows the game that can help with the development of Dosunmu.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are coming off a disappointing end to their season. Their season snapped shut after a play-in loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Much of their shortcomings can be pointed to injuries.
With limited depth at their guard position and in desperate need of stashing another playmaker, Rose would be a tremendous addition to the Pelicans.
He would be a spark off the bench and would be a great facilitator for Zion Williamson. He would also pair nicely with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, who are both extremely capable of playing off-ball.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks’ season ended by losing to the Boston Celtics in the 1st round of the playoffs in a six-game series. The Hawks have many things they need to do to turn their team into a legitimate playoff threat. One of them being more depth at the guard position.
Atlanta has two ball-dominant guards as the main focus of their core. Rose would help limit the drop-off of play when both Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are not on the court. And he would, of course, be a great mentor for the two young stars in the locker room.
With the signing of Rose, another playmaker would be added to the roster, helping take pressure off the duo for being responsible for most of the playmaking on the team.
