Getty Lakers head coach Darvin Ham (left) and GM Rob Pelinka
The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in trading for a $43 million All-Star and former MVP. Heavy.com senior insider Sean Deveney spoke to an Eastern Conference executive who stated the Lakers “have always had interest” in New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose, who is available in trade talks.
“He is always going to be the good soldier and he might not even want out of New York just because he and Thibs are so tight,” the exec told Deveney. “But he’s going to want to play at some point and he is going to want a chance to win. The Lakers have always had interest, but there is no way to make that deal work now with the contracts they have.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on November 18 that the Knicks have shown a willingness to discuss Rose and Immanuel Quickley in trade talks. New York has several guards on the roster and wants to create more playing time for Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride.
Rose, the 2010-11 MVP, has appeared in 17 games this season. The three-time All-Star is averaging a career-low 13.2 minutes a night since the Knicks have a logjam at the guard position. Rose, 34, is putting up 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 41.3% from the field, 37.2% from beyond the arc and a perfect 100.0% from the free-throw line. The Chicago native’s per-36-minutes stats are impressive, as Rose is averaging 18.6 points and 5.8 assists.
Rose Has Been Linked to the Lakers Before
Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft, has been linked to the Lakers before. The purple and gold almost traded for the Memphis product during the 2019-20 season when Rose was on the Detroit Pistons.
Before he tragically passed away in January 2020, Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant urged the Lakers’ front office to trade for Rose, who has career averages of 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Before Kobe Bryant’s passing, he suggested the Lakers to sign Dwight Howard. They did, and he also suggested the Lakers to trade for Derrick Rose which did NOT happen.
Kobe almost orchestrated a Derrick Rose championship 🌹🏆
(Via. @ramonashelburne, @WindhorstESPN)
According to an NBA executive who spoke to Ric Bucher of Fox Sports in November 2021, Rose has aged better than Lakers star Russell Westbrook and learned how to dominate games without using his athleticism. Rose has become a reliable 3-point shooter over the past few years, shooting 36.3% from deep dating back to the start of the 2018-19 season. During that same span, Westbrook is shooting just 29.4% from 3-point land.
Westbrook is currently thriving in his bench role with the Lakers, who are 5-10 on the season. The UCLA product is averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists since coming off the bench while shooting 43.6% overall and 39.6% on 3-pointers. Westbrook, however, continues to be a turnover machine, as he’s averaging 4.3 turnovers as a reserve. Rose, meanwhile, is only averaging 0.9 turnovers a night for the Knicks, who are 8-9.
Lakers Could Trade Westbrook to Knicks for Rose & 2 Other Players
The Lakers could trade Westbrook to the Knicks for Rose, Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish under CBA rules. Marc Berman of the New York Post reported in August that Los Angeles was interested in acquiring Reddish over the summer.
Fournier and Rose stretch the floor better than Westbrook, who is a career 30.5% shooter on 3s. Rose is a season removed from shooting a career-high 40.2% from beyond the arc, while Fournier — who has been pulled from the Knicks’ rotation — is a career 38.0% shooter from 3-point range.
Reddish, meanwhile, could be a good fit for the Lakers since he’s young, long and can create his own shot off the dribble. The 6-foot-8 swingman, who is only 23, shot 35.9% from long-range last season with the Atlanta Hawks and Knicks.