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The New York Knicks plan to keep veteran guard Derrick Rose but not on his current price tag, according to Clutchpoint’s Brett Siegel.
“The New York Knicks own a $15.6 million team option on Derrick Rose’s contract for next season that they are expected to decline. However, the Knicks would like to keep Rose on a more team-friendly contract, as his mentorship and leadership in the locker room have been extremely valuable to the team’s overall success,” Siegel reported.
The Knicks have until June 24 to decide on Rose’s team option, part of his original three-year, $43.5 million deal he signed to return in 2021 following his crucial role in the team’s playoff run that year.
Since then, Rose has only appeared in 53 games over the past two seasons due to injury and the Knicks’ pivot to a youth movement. Despite Rose falling out of the rotation, he remained professional and engaged with the team.
New York coach Tom Thibodeau valued Rose’s leadership as the Knicks decided to keep the former MVP past the trade deadline despite overtures from other playoff-contending teams.
“The guy has been around. He’s been great for us,” Thibodeau said of Rose after the veteran guard played garbage minutes in their Game 3 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. “Particularly, we’re a very young team. And to have a guy like that around, it’s invaluable.”
“So even though he’s not playing, he’s had a great impact on all our guys. So that’s great. The best thing about our fans is they have a great appreciation for that, appreciation for all he’s done throughout his career. And it says a lot about Derrick. Whatever role you ask him to play, he embraces it and wants to be great at it. And he’s always cared about the team the most and winning,” he added.
As an over-the-cap team, the Knicks can bring back Rose on a new deal using part of their $12.2 million non-taxpayer and $4.5 million bi-annual exception, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks.
Derrick Rose Discussed in Zach LaVine Trade Talks
Rose was discussed in Knicks’ casual talks with the Chicago Bulls with an eye on two-time All-Star Zach LaVine leading to last February’s trade deadline, according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
“…Derrick Rose was also among the players who were discussed as part of trade packages in those casual conversations between the Knicks and Bulls, per people familiar with the matter,” Begley wrote in his latest SNY mailbag.
A Chicago homecoming should be one of Rose’s options this offseason, given their desperate need for a true point guard as Lonzo Ball is expected to sit out most, if not all of next season, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Rose spent his first seven seasons in the NBA with the Bulls, which peaked in 2011 when he became the youngest MVP in league history, three years after they made him the No. 1 overall pick.
Derrick Rose Likely to Move on From Knicks
Even if the Knicks would like to keep Rose, the 34-year-old guard might have other plans, as he still wants to play in an off-the-bench role.
“I still got a lot left in the tank, so it’s about being patient,” Rose told Andscape’s Marc Spears. “I killed my ego long ago. It’s not about the ego thing anymore. It’s about enjoying where I am at right now because there are a lot of older guys and younger guys that wish they were in my position.”
Aside from the Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings have shown interest in Rose at the trade deadline. It will be easier for those teams to get Rose this offseason if he becomes an unrestricted free agent should the Knicks decline his $15.6 million team option.
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