Getty Derrick Rose drives against Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Derrick Rose is a free agent and the Los Angeles Lakers could be among the teams who make a play for the former MVP.
The New York Knicks have declined Rose’s $15.6 million option, which makes sense considering he fell out of the rotation. Rose will be 35 next season but the former top pick could still be a valuable asset for a team like the Lakers, who are looking to shore up their point guard depth and could find some minutes for him.
The Lakers — along with the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls — were listed as teams that could have interest in Rose as a free agent, per Steve Popper of Newsday.
“There are contending teams — the Lakers, Suns and Celtics or even a return to his hometown Bulls — who could have minutes available at point guard for Rose,” Popper said. “He is healthy and has adjusted his game, becoming more of a three-point threat in recent years. But for the Knicks, with Jalen Brunson playing huge minutes and defensive-minded Deuce McBride and Immanuel Quickley as backups, Rose has not had a role.”
Lakers Sorting Out Point Guard Depth
Rose averaged just 12.5 minutes last season with the Knicks, scoring 5.6 points per game. But he likely has some solid basketball left in the tank. He was fairly consistent for New York in the two years prior while he was on the court, although an ankle injury ended his 2021-22 season after just 26 games.
Prior to that, he finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting, helping the Knicks to the postseason. He put up 14.9 points per game on 48.7% shooting during the 2020-21 campaign.
Rose’s improved 3-point shooting would also be welcomed in Los Angeles. He shot better than 40% in two of his three seasons with the Knicks from deep, the exception being last year.
The Lakers’ situation at point guard will be interesting to monitor this offseason. D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder ate up the majority of minutes for LA at the position last year following the trade deadline but both are free agents.
Russell had a rough series against the Denver Nuggets and his market value has been highly debated. Schroder returned to the Lakers last offseason with the goal of making things right after a rough first go-around in LA. He did just that and the Lakers will look to retain him, possibly using the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Derrick Rose Expected to Have Multiple Suitors
Rose is expected to have multiple suitors as a free agent. And there’s also a chance he ends up returning to the Knicks, per veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein.
“Phoenix, Milwaukee and Chicago have all quickly been cited as teams expected to have a level of interest in former MVP Derrick Rose after the Knicks declined to pick up their $15.6 million team option on Rose for next season,” Stein reported on June 26. “The Knicks are likewise expected to ask Rose to return at a lower number if he does not sign elsewhere.”
The Lakers have long been interested in Rose as a potential option but perhaps this is the time they’ll get him to sport the purple and gold — if they can fend off the competition.