Like it or not, the NBA’s best team in the Los Angeles Lakers is eager to get better.
Last season, the Lakers reportedly approached the Detroit Pistons about a trade for former Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose — an inquiry that was met with a firm no.
Brian Windhorst spoke with the Pistons and gauged had a telling response to the trade rumor:
No, there’s no chance. He’s under contract for next year at a good number. From what I understand, when the Lakers called the Pistons and expressed an interest in trading for Derrick Rose, the Pistons said ‘Hey, we appreciate you calling, but we’re not trading him. Dwane Casey likes him. We think he’s going to be important for us next year.’ He just wasn’t available.
That report put the trade talks at a simmer through 2020, however, as the NBA trade deadline approaches on March 25, a second pass by the Lakers is a possibility if Los Angeles is looking to bolster its backcourt.
Pippen Ain’t Easy recently addressed the trade rumors, once again brining Rose’s name to the forefront.
Rose Re-Finding His Form After ACL Injury
Rose has continued to keep writing his legacy in the league after suffering an ACL tear in the first round of the playoffs in 2012.
While injuries have sapped some of the explosiveness that was tantamount to his early success in winning league MVP, Rookie of the Year and three All-Star nods, Rose has remained an integral piece of the Pistons rotation.
Coming off the bench, Rose has averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and a steal in 24 minutes per game this season.
Rose has shown flashes of his former self too. With the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rose posted a career-high 50 points against the Utah Jazz in 2018. His last 40-point game came seven years and 227 days before that game, the fifth-longest gap in NBA history.
Rose’s performance won the House of Highlights Moment of the Year at the NBA Award show, partially given the emotional charge that surrounded his resurgence.
Congratulations to @drose on winning moment of the year at the #NBAAwards!
Here’s his post-game interview from after his monster night on the court.
It was a shining moment in Rose’s career that found the then 30-year-old at a transition in his career, learning to become the veteran presence on a team and take over when the time is right.
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Rose Reaches Free Agency Next Offseason
While it seems the Pistons are not high on trading Rose, the 32-year-old guard’s contract does expire after this season.
Both Los Angeles and the Philadelphia 76ers have inquired about him in the past, meanwhile, the Bulls also could use a more veteran presence in the backcourt.
Rose is still producing at a high level and likely able to find another team if Detroit decides to re-sign him. Next offseason will be interesting to see which organization fields the native Chicagoan next.
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Former Bulls Star Derrick Rose Trade Talks With Lakers Still Simmering