An early option to fill a need at the point guard position that was mentioned among various Bulls rumors at the outset of the offseason was the potential to sign back the former MVP and veteran Derrick Rose. Spending his last three seasons between the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and New York Knicks, D-Rose really re-established his career in a newfound role.
And with the idea that the Bulls needed at least some help at point guard, D-Rose did emerge as somewhat of an insurance policy. It was hard to find a common and reasonable consensus that held the opinion that the Bulls would do better signing D-Rose to fill the need at the point guard position compared to someone like former Brooklyn Nets standout Spencer Dinwiddie or the fomrer New Orleans Pelicans restricted free agent Lonzo Ball.
Now that the Bulls have signed Lonzo, and found their starting point guard of the future, the speculation surrounding D-Rose has obviously subsided. Lonzo will be suiting up for the Bulls heading into next season, and D-Rose is heading back to join former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks.
Knicks announce Derrick Rose signing. In a statement, president Leon Rose called Derrick “an extension of coach Thibodeau on court.” Bulls made an offer and Derrick had interest coming home but Knicks blew it away, per source.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) August 18, 2021
Yet, there was bona fide interest that the Bulls had in signing D-Rose. The new front office regime and coaching staff rebuffing the direction of this franchise would’ve helped ease the transition compared to if John Paxson and Gar Forman were still leading the way.
Bulls rumors did not play out to land Derrick Rose in Chicago this offseason
The Bulls did reportedly (per Marc Berman of the New York Post) make an offer to Rose, but the Knicks “blew it away”. The Knicks wound up signing D-Rose to a three-year contract, worth a total of around $43 million.
Meanwhile, the Bulls gave a four-year contract worth a little north of $80 milion in total this year to Lozo. The Bulls got Lonzo from the Pelicans in a sign-and-trade deal that was announced a little more than two weeks ago.
D-Rose remains very productive in a new role at this point of his career. Between his time with the Timberwolves and Knicks last season, Rose averaged 14.7 points per game, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he shot 47.0 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.6 percent from the free-throw line.
It will be interesting to see how head coach Billy Donovan can piece together this upgraded Bulls’ rotation from the offseason. This starting unit will feature a couple of key new faces including Lonzo and former San Antonio Spurs star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan.