The Detroit Pistons have been surrounded by trade rumors, and Derrick Rose is no different. Yet he wants to stay in the Motor City, according to a report.
The Detroit Pistons have been at the focal point of the NBA trade rumor mill, and Derrick Rose is no exception. Except he wants to stay in the Motor City.
“Rose is happy with the Pistons and isn’t looking to be traded,” an unnamed source told Yahoo!’s Chris Haynes, who reported Monday that Rose is drawing interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, among other teams.
Rose, 31, is putting together an All-Star-caliber season, something he hasn’t achieved since the 2011-12 season in which he would tear his ACL. His resurgence is remarkable, averaging 18.4 points and 5.8 assists per game in 26.1 minutes per contest.
Detroit (16-28) sits three games behind the struggling Brooklyn Nets for the eight spot in the Eastern Conference. Rose has been a big part of the Pistons staying afloat while Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin and Luke Kennard have been hampered by injuries, missing a significant portion of the season.
Recently, Rose asked the Pistons to bump up his minutes with injuries abound. The Pistons initially had a plan to keep him around 25-27 minutes per game to keep him healthy for the duration of the season and into the postseason. But Rose has championship desires, in the Motor City, and has had his request granted.
Over the last seven games, he’s averaging 31.4 minutes per game and the Pistons are 3-4 in those games. In that stretch he’s averaging 23.4 points, 6.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. His scoring tick is part of a nine-game stretch where Rose has scored 20-plus points – the second-longest streak of his career.
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At media day, Rose said he wanted to win a championship in the Motor City. While that seems like a long shot for 2020, it’s a sign of belief and confidence in senior advisor Ed Stefanski, coach Dwane Casey and the Pistons brass that hasn’t been seen since the Goin’ to Work Pistons. That begs the question, what draws Rose to Detroit and why was he confident enough to make such a bold statement?
Pistons brass has a dilemma on whether to keep Rose, whose trade value has never been higher, or to deal him. The same could be said for Andre Drummond, who has tipped-off trade rumors season. But even Drummond said he wants to stay in Detroit despite the ability to enter free agency this summer.
The future of the Pistons could go in a variety of directions but multiple reports say that the Pistons are going to re-tool as opposed to rebuild. Rose would be a valuable asset for next season if that’s the case.
The next two weeks will shape the Pistons future, and it’s interesting that rumored Pistons want to remain in Detroit.