Derrick Rose has said he wants to stay put in Detroit. The Pistons, who employ Arn Tellem, Rose’s former agent, in their front office, are inclined to keep him on board. That is, unless the team can put together a package that can accomplish two goals: Get Rose to a contender (or at least a serious playoff team) he’d like to join and get the Pistons some assets to jumpstart their impending rebuild.
Chief among those assets would be a first-round pick, reportedly in the range of the lottery.
The challenge for the Pistons is they will need to be extra cautious with how they handle Rose because of his connection with Tellem. Still, it’s possible for Detroit to put him into a good situation while also getting back the youth and/or draft picks the team needs.
Derrick Rose to the L.A. Clippers
The offer: Clippers’ 2020 first-round pick, Maurice Harkless, Terance Mann, Jerome Robinson for Rose, Markieff Morris, Thon Maker, Tim Frazier.
Outlook: The Clippers have young assets if they decide Rose is their target. Clippers’ pick figures to land in the mid-20s in this draft, which is not quite the lottery-level return the Pistons want. But Robinson is a second-year guard who should develop if given some minutes and Mann is a strong, versatile guard who has impressed Clippers coaches. A pair of decent prospects and a pick is a good haul for Rose.
Derrick Rose to the Los Angeles Lakers
The offer: Kyle Kuzma, Quinn Cook for Derrick Rose, Pistons’ 2022 first-round pick.
Outlook: Kuzma’s value is a topic of debate across the league, but he’s unquestionably a solid scorer at a position Detroit needs to fill, long-term. The Lakers need a guy like Rose off the bench. The Pistons are not looking to give up picks, but maybe Kuzma would be deemed to be worth giving up one three drafts into the future. Detroit is expecting to be bad next season, so there’s little chance they’d give up their first-rounder in 2021—there’s no point in tanking if there’s no immediate draft-lottery reward. But including their 2022 pick gives the Lakers some draft flexibility going forward, including the ability to make another trade using that pick.
Derrick Rose to the Boston Celtics
The offer: Enes Kanter, Semi Ojeleye, Boston’s rights to Memphis’ 2020 first-round pick for Rose.
Outlook: The Celtics badly need help off the bench and while they’ve not expressed interest in Rose, he is the kind of sparkplug scorer the team is lacking. Boston hoped that rookie Romeo Langford would be pitching in now, but Langford has had injury difficulty all year. The Grizzlies pick isn’t the Top 10 pick Boston had hoped it would be but should still fall between 12-17. The Pistons might push to have Langford or Grant Williams rather than Ojeleye but that might make the cost too expensive for the Celtics.
Derrick Rose to the Orlando Magic
The offer: D.J. Augustin, Orlando’s 2020 first-round pick for Derrick Rose.
Outlook: This one would certainly be simple for the league office to process. Augustin, who is available for a deal, and Rose make just about the same amount and while Augustin still has some value, he can’t provide the boost of bench scoring that Rose offers. The Magic are an excellent defensive team that just can’t score and swapping out Augustin’s production for Rose’s makes them a wildcard down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Derrick Rose to the Philadelphia 76ers
The offer: Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz, Sixers’ 2022 first-round pick for Derrick Rose.
Outlook: Scott is a rotation player so losing him would hurt, but considering his struggles this year (5.6 points on 39.3 percent shooting) he probably could be replaced on the buyout market. The Sixers can’t trade this year’s pick but they could deal their 2022 first-rounder and that might be good enough for the Pistons. With Korkmaz, who is only 22 and could use a fresh start with a rebuilding team, in the deal, the return for the Pistons would be strong.
Derrick Rose to the Phoenix Suns
The offer: Mikal Bridges, Elie Okobo for Derrick Rose.
Outlook: The season started with hopes that Bridges could be in for a breakout season. He fizzled, though, averaging 7.5 points and cutting back on the 3-point shooting that was such a strength in college (he shot 40.0 percent in three seasons). It might be difficult to deal him while rookie Cam Johnson is dealing with a hamstring injury, but it’s obvious that Kelly Oubre and Johnson should get most of the small-forward minutes in Phoenix. Okobo was drafted to be the Suns’ point guard of the future, at least until they picked Ty Jerome last June. The Pistons could give both guys a shot and Phoenix, still serious about making a postseason run, can address its lack of bench scoring—the Suns are 25th in points off the bench, at 32.0 per game.
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Derrick Rose Trade Talk: Lakers, Celtics Among Six Best Packages