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The NBA offseason is young but it has already been replete with Los Angeles Lakers rumors. Even after winning the title, the team is expected to be big players in the trade and free-agent markets. Detroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose popped up as a potential trade target before last season’s trade deadline but the Lakers couldn’t pull off the move.
While the two sides didn’t make a deal then, an NBA general manager believes it’s “more likely” that a deal happens this offseason, per Heavy’s Sean Deveney. Rose’s wife Alaina Anderson saw that report and commented with several laughing emojis.
Her comment could mean so many things. We saw a similar reaction from Bradley Beal’s wife over rumors he could come to the Lakers. The wives would obviously know more than the public knows but it’s hard to deduce what their comments mean. In Rose’s case, he might not have much of a choice should the Pistons decide they want to trade him. He could certainly do worse than getting sent to the reigning NBA champions.
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Rose Would Make Sense With Lakers
Whether or not Rose wants to go play with LeBron James in Los Angeles remains to be seen. However, it’s easy to see how strong of a fit he would be. Rose has put together an amazing career but has yet to win a championship. He could play an important role for the Lakers in another title run.
Not only is he a good player, but he’s also a really good fit. The team needs a strong scoring option off the bench who can also run the floor when LeBron is resting. Rose’s days as a starter are probably over but he’s got Sixth Man of the Year written all over him. He averaged his most points per game last season since the 2011-12 season. In fact, 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell averaged 18.6 points a game while Rose averaged 18.1. Heading to the Lakers could see Rose’s production get even better. Los Angeles relied on LeBron and Anthony Davis quite a bit this season. It would be a big deal if they could add a legit third scoring option.
Will Pistons Give up Rose?
Right now, the Pistons’ two best players are Rose and Blake Griffin. Both men have extensive injury histories and aren’t getting any younger. Detroit would be wise to consider a full rebuild. The Lakers can’t give them a ton but they could send them Kyle Kuzma, who is from Michigan and would be a solid, young building block.
Rose is a free agent after the season so the Pistons don’t have a ton of leverage. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Rose was starting to think about winning titles at this point in his career. It would be surprising if he re-signed with Detroit after this upcoming season. It could be a team other than the Lakers but it seems unlikely that Rose finishes the season with the Pistons.
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