There are few more interesting questions going into the summer than “where does Derrick Rose land?”
The answer to this issue is in part predicated on how he recovers from another knee surgery, his third “clean up” surgery he’s had (he’s had four total knee surgeries, spread two on each knee). This one ended his season with the Knicks, but it took place on Wednesday and went well, according to the Knicks.
Derrick Rose medical update: pic.twitter.com/RzlX30lxuy
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) April 5, 2017
Rose, 28, put up solid numbers this season, averaging 18 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per-game. Offensively he was a replacement level NBA point guard, but defensively he was terrible and was a key part of the Knicks defensive issues as a team.
Considering this is a deep draft of point guards and that there are some good ones on the free agent market — Stephen Curry and Chris Paul likely stay put, but still there is Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday, George Hill, Jeff Teague, Patty Mills, all of whom rank above Rose — he may find a limited market for his services. After this surgery, and considering he hasn’t played in more than 66 games since his MVP season, it’s hard to imagine Rose getting more than two years guaranteed. Also, the top end for him financially could be $12 million or so, unless some team decides they need him to run the show and come in higher than expected.
Rose’s agent B.J. Armstrong was on a recent PBT Podcast and echoed what Rose himself said, that winning is what matters in choosing a new team for Rose this summer. If so, there are very good teams who might want him to come off the bench as a sixth man and provide depth at a lower price. Is Rose really willing to accept that? Or does he want the rock?
Like I said, watching what happens with Rose this summer will be fascinating.
