Derrick Rose was part of the older, injured, can’t-play-defense Cleveland Cavaliers that were broken up at the trade deadline in an effort to give LeBron James a chance (and Cleveland a chance to keep him).
Rose was traded to Utah, but that was always going to be a quick buyout. The Jazz are set at the point — Ricky Rubio starts, but Donovan Mitchell does a lot of the ball handling — and Rose does not fit with their style.
Saturday the Jazz made it official, announcing a buyout of Rose. Once he clears waivers, Rose will be a free agent.
Rose played in just 16 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 9.8 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting, 25 percent from three. Rose is not explosive like he was back in his MVP days — multiple knee surgeries will do that to you — but the craft of his game never evolved, leaving him as a limited volume scorer at this point in his career.
There will be interest in him, however. His old coach Tom Thibodeau loves his former players and is interested in bringing Rose to Minnesota — which is fine as long as he’s a third guard behind Tyus Jones. Take away Jones’ minutes (he’s played well) and Timberwolves Twitter will openly revolt.
Another team interested? Washington.
One team expected to survey the possibility of signing Derrick Rose, league sources tell ESPN: The Washington Wizards. John Wall still has several more weeks of rehab following knee surgery.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2018
Not sure how much Rose helps them as a stop-gap measure, but it’s something to watch.