Recently, NBA reporter Michael Scotto reported that the Knicks are not expected to execute Rose's team option, and the Bulls will be a potential next home for Rose.
Rose signed a three-year, $43 million contract with the Knicks in the summer of 2021, with a $15.4 million team option in the final year of this contract, and the Knicks need to decide whether to execute by June 24.
Honestly, no surprise.
This season, Rose ushered in a career-changing season, he played only 27 games, averaging 12.5 minutes per game, only 5.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists, shooting 38.4% from the field, 30.2% from three-point range, and only 46.3% from the field, and the lowest points in points, rebounds, assists, and true shooting percentages in the past five seasons.
It should be said that Ross can still get 10-20 minutes of playing time at the beginning of the regular season, but after entering December, Ross fell directly out of the rotation, of which in 2023, Ross only played a total of 2 games, one of which was garbage time.
In the playoffs, Rose continued his role in the middle and late stages of the regular season, getting only one chance to play, and only played 2.5 minutes of garbage time, shooting 0 of 4, scoring no points and only one assist.
Not belittling, but Ross's current role is a bit of a "team mascot", only when the team is in the lead, there is enough garbage time, the audience is booing to see Rose, and Ross can only sit on the bench for most of the rest of the time, and obviously, the Knicks cannot pay 15.4 million a year for such a player.
Although he had been expected to decline, he really did not expect it to be so fast.
You know, Rose was the absolute workhorse of the Knicks two years ago, when he was in the best sixth man discussion in the regular season, and averaged 19.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game against the Hawks in the playoffs, and helped the Knicks win the only series victory with Randle pulling his crotch.
Even last season, Rose was still an important member of the Knicks, when he averaged 24.5 minutes per game, scored 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, and shot 44.5%/40.2%/96.8% from three-field range, but unfortunately due to injury, Rose only played 26 games this year.
This season, Brunson arrived, Quickley, Grimes and McBride continued to grow, the Knicks also got Hart before the trade deadline, and Rose's survival playing time was directly compressed to nothing - in fact, it is not to blame Thibodeau and the Knicks group of young people, after all, Rose's performance in limited time is really not good, and from the record point of view, the young Knicks have played the best performance in nearly a decade.
Due to the performance and sentiment of the past two years, we subjectively think that Ross still has oil in the tank, after all, he is only 34 years old, which is an age when veterans can still shine, but look at this increasingly young league, after playing such a season, Ross's future is really full of uncertainty.
Returning to the Bulls and staying in the Knicks is a choice, but this option is no longer in Ross' own hands, the ideal situation is for the Bulls to sign Rose, and the Windy City Son returns to his place of fame to retire, but the worst case is not excluded, Rose may not play without the ball - this is not an impossible thing, think of last year's Anthony, after playing the most productive season of his career, there is still no one to play, and finally announced his retirement not long ago.
It is worth mentioning that Rose is very comfortable with the change in his role, he once said after falling out of the rotation: "I just want to play happily, it would be great if I could win the championship, but I always felt that I could still be on the court in the 15th year of my career, and for me it was a kind of championship." ”
Ross also recalled his career: "Not many people are like me, from the top salary to the bottom salary, and then to the current salary. I'm the first player to have this experience, so it's great to get to this point, I'm not going to be the last person to have this experience, I'm not going to be the last Derrick Rose and there will be other people going through this. ”
Indeed, looking back on Ross's career, he really went through too much, from the youngest MVP to injury to almost retirement, but he persevered and re-bloomed to prove his ability again, hoping that this time, Ross can still be favored in free agency.