Proposed Trade Lands Knicks New Starting Center for Derrick Rose

Getty Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks reacts against the Miami Heat.

With the New York Knicks fighting for a playoff spot, it makes sense for the team to be active at the trade deadline and look for ways to improve the roster.

Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish are all out of the healthy rotation, and that makes them expendable pieces that can still hold value for other teams. Reddish is still young with upside, Fournier is a solid shooter and Rose can fill in as a spot starter or rotational player on limited minutes.

The Chicago Bulls, a team who figured they’d be a lock for the playoffs coming into the year, are now fighting for just a play-in spot, and that could cause them to pursue some big trades. Outside of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, there are good pieces on the team that could help out in other situations.

Center Nikola Vucevic is a name that comes to mind, and NBC Sports writer Rob Schaefer responded to a fan who cooked up a proposal that would see Vucevic putting on a Knicks jersey.

Vucevic to the Knicks

Mitchell Robinson signed an extension before the season, but his health issues have remained a concern for the Knicks, and it’s clear they need to prioritize the position with a serviceable backup. They signed Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason who was coming off a strong season with the Clippers, but he hasn’t been able to match that production since joining the Knicks.

This proposal would see Hartenstein and Rose shipped to Chicago in exchange for Vucevic, and that could be a move that greatly helps the Knicks on paper.

• Knicks receive: Nikola Vučević
• Bulls receive: Derrick Rose, Isaiah Hartenstein

The thing holding this back is the fact the Knicks just signed Robinson, and they’ve seen good flashes from center Jericho Sims who is playing an increased role after the Obi Toppin injury.

“All of the above is also said without considering the Knicks’ appetite for introducing Vučević into a center room from which they have gotten solid production from the younger, more athletic and more defensively talented Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims,” Schaefer writes.

Robinson signed a four-year, $60 million deal and the Knicks have shown they are willing to bench, or even remove, high-priced players from their lineup. Fournier signed an even bigger deal than that and he’s not seeing the floor with any type of regularity.

Adding Vucevic would more than likely mean he becomes the starter, and that would mean Robinson has to shift to the bench. For a player who was paid to be a starter, there’s no telling how that’d go over for Robinson.

Don’t Count on It

If the Bulls are waving the white flag on the season, they’d likely look for a bigger haul than an aging veteran and a backup center. Vucevic is 32 years old so it’s not clear what type of return the Bulls could get for him, but he’s proven he can still be productive when he’s on the floor.

Rose reuniting with the Bulls would be nice to see, but he won’t be providing a ton of value, and he would have the option to simply leave in the offseason. As for Hartenstein, he’d be a decent pickup, but it wouldn’t exactly move the needle in terms of success.

The deal makes a lot more sense for the Knicks as adding a big man who’s putting up nearly 17 and 10 on the season would be nice if it only costs Hartenstein and Rose. At the end of the day, Schaefer believes this is a trade that has little chance of happening.

“This one feels like a no all around,” he concludes.