Two summers after the Chicago Bulls couldn’t close the deal and bring Carmelo Anthony to Chicago, a recent rumor of Rose potentially joining Anthony and the New York Knicks this summer has brought some thoughts and flashbacks to the forefront.
On July 1, 2014, the Chicago Bulls laid out everything but a ticker-tape parade when they hosted prized free agent Carmelo Anthony.
The Bulls arranged for Anthony to speak with the organization at the United Center, which was surrounded by edited photos of Anthony in a Bulls uniform and the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Anthony spoke with and toured the Advocate Center — that was under construction at the time — with Bulls general manager Gar Forman, vice president of basketball operations John Paxson, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.
Althought not seen with Anthony and the Bulls’ camp during the tour and the dinner later on in the day, Derrick Rose was seen at the arena on that day with assistant coach Randy Brown. Despite not being a part of the Bulls’ pitch to Anthony, reports leaked that Rose worked out for Anthony to show his health and explosiveness that hadn’t fully left him after two knee surgeries.
The reality of the situation was that Rose already had a workout planned at the arena and had no idea when Anthony was even coming for his visit.
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Anthony would later decline the Bulls’ pitch and re-signed with the New York Knicks for $124 million over the next five seasons.
Skip ahead to the current day and now, it’s Derrick Rose that could be finding himself on the move potentially.
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the Knicks “have had internal discussions” about trading for Rose this summer.
It’s not a free agent pitch this time around, but it’s interesting that after the Bulls whiffed in convincing Anthony to come to Chicago to play with Rose, the two could still end up playing together anyway.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders recently reported that the Bulls would rather move Rose instead of potentially moving Jimmy Butler to rumored spots like Minnesota, Boston, etc.
After the season concluded, respected Chicago Tribune Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson wrote a column that the main order of business for the Bulls this summer is moving either Rose or Butler.
The issue is, what could the Bulls get for Rose and what could the Knicks give up? Just like Begley mentioned in his initial report on Rose, Kristaps Porzingis, future first-round picks and Anthony himself are really the only bargaining chips the Knicks have at the moment.
New York needs to upgrade their backcourt depth heading into 2016-17, but they don’t have much to offer the Bulls, even with Rose declining at the age of 27 due to some unfortunate knee injuries since his MVP season in 2010-11.
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Despite that, the deal could still go through for a few reasons:
- Derrick Rose will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the Knicks don’t see him in their long-term plans, he’s off their books and they can jump into the market for a loaded point guard class of free agents next summer.
- The Bulls would have to pay Derrick Rose over $21 million next season if they keep him. A solid hypothetical situation for the Bulls could be moving Rose, drafting a point guard in the first round of the draft on Thursday night and free themselves of Rose’s contract for a potential free agent maneuver or two.
- The Bulls and Derrick Rose need a separation. Personally, it would be healthy for the both of them. Rose could get a fresh new start in a huge market to display his talents for a new deal next summer and the Bulls can move forward and restructure their franchise with Jimmy Butler and young talent all around him.
It’s rather strange to try and envision a Chicago Bulls roster without Derrick Rose on it.
But, with draft night and free agency chaos on the horizon, the front office recognizes that the time is coming for those “aggressive changes” that Jerry Reinsdorf’s public statement on the Bulls mentioned at the end of this season.
The Bulls have already made one move (albeit, acquiring Spencer Dinwiddie isn’t a franchise-altering change), but changes are likely coming.
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And unfortunately, despite what he’s done for his own city, Derrick Rose likely won’t be a part of any potential parades involving the Bulls in the future.