Would Chicago Bulls entertain idea of Derrick Rose return this season?

Would it be wise for the Chicago Bulls to prioritize trading for former star point guard Derrick Rose at the 2020 trade deadline?

The time of the NBA calendar where fans and basketball media toss around different trade ideas and packages has arrived prior to the 2020 deadline. A team that should be a potential seller at the 2020 trade deadline is the Chicago Bulls. Sitting with a record of 14-27 at the halfway mark of the 2019-20 regular season following a 113-101 road loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Jan. 13, the Bulls are still moving further and further out of the playoff picture.

Maybe the most discussed team heading into the trade deadline that could be a seller next month is the Bulls Central Division foe Detroit Pistons. And the two hottest players that could be on the trade block from the Pistons are the former Bulls superstar point guard Derrick Rose and the breakthrough center Andre Drummond.

There is more speculation surrounding Drummond at the moment heading into the 2020 trade deadline than there is the former Bulls MVP honoree D-Rose. But a recent report from NBC Sports showed that there could be looming interest in D-Rose trade ideas heading into the deadline next month.

Here’s what that report from NBC Sports, partly on the subject and discussion of a potential trade deal, involving D-Rose had to say earlier this month.

"Q: You talk about comfort level here and you chose to come here in free agency. There may be trade interest in you before the Feb. 6 deadline. What do you want to happen?Rose: I haven’t really thought about it. Me and [agent] B.J. [Armstrong] haven’t talked about it. When we have talked, it was more about All-Star and what appearances I have for adidas. It wasn’t anything else as far as like what teams are calling, this and that. We were pretty straightforward. We talk about how I play."

No specific mentioning is being made about a possible return for D-Rose to the Windy City this season. There was possible speculation about him returning to the Windy City last offseason before he signed with the Pistons on a two-year deal out of free agency.

But the Bulls were looking for a veteran point guard last offseason, and wound up signing the former Washington Wizards 6-foot-7 guard Tomas Satoransky. But the Bulls should be putting all trade options on the table heading into the 2020 deadline.

D-Rose did indicate that he would be possibly open to a Bulls reunion (per NBC Sports Chicago) sometime in the future, when the Pistons met in Chicago earlier this season. But he likely didn’t mean that it could come this soon.

It does seem like a stretch that it would be wise for the Bulls to pursue a D-Rose trade. A D-Rose reunion with the Bulls just seems too early since his play with smaller market teams over the course of the last two seasons went really well.

He should stick with another small market team that could utilize him as a tremendous sixth man off the bench. Rose could be a potential All-Star selection for the fourth time in his NBA career this year. He is averaging 18.0 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and posting a player efficiency rating better than 21.0 so far this season.

Rose is posting All-Star caliber numbers in just a sixth man role. Whatever team might trade for him should keep him in that role, with limited playing time compared to other players producing at his level.

Since the Bulls need on the trade market is more on the wing and at center, D-Rose doesn’t help to plug any holes. If the Bulls are looking to fill the need to add a true star to the backcourt, then D-Rose isn’t the answer for them either. The Bulls are better off sticking with the 24-year-old 6-foot-6 shooting guard that is also a potential budding star, with Zach LaVine.

If D-Rose continues on this trend upward back into NBA relevance like he has with the Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves for the last two seasons, then a future Bulls reunion sounds good. But that is not likely something that should happen for at least another three or four years.

Considering the Bulls are in a rough spot during this difficult January slate, a lot of other trade options are worth exploring. What are the opinions of the Bulls fan base heading into the 2020 trade deadline?