Detroit Pistons: Derrick Rose trade coming soon?

If the rumors flying around on Saturday night are true, it  would appear that Derrick Rose’s time here in the Motor City seems to have ended.

Before the Detroit Pistons‘ clash with the Los Angles Lakers, the Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted out, along with James Edwards III, that the Pistons and the 2011 NBA League MVP agreed that a trade would be best for both parties.

Before the Lakers game, Pistons coach Dwane Casey sais that Rose would miss the game for ‘personal reasons’. That is all we know officially from the team.

In the initial tweet, the New York Knicks were mentioned as the most likely target, meaning a reunion with Rose’s coach back in his heyday in Chicago, Tom Thibodeau.

The immediate reaction with the news of Derrick Rose and the 32-year-old guard reportedly going to the Big Apple, has sent Pistons fans to put their GM hats on and start firing up some trades.

Rose has played well for the Pistons since they acquired him last season, averaging 17.2 points in 65 games, despite mostly coming off the bench. He has also been an excellent mentor to the young Detroit guards.

But, with a contract that expires at the end of the season, and Detroit’s playoff hopes dim, there really is no reason for Rose to stay, if Pistons general manager Troy Weaver can get a decent asset for him.

The overall consensus, and my opinion, would be to swap one of the Knicks point guards, with the understanding only rookie sensation Immanuel Quickley is off the table.

With Dennis Smith Jr.’s value at an all-time low after being assigned to the G-League affiliate (they traded Kristaps Porzingis for him, remember), he is also likely off the table, but for a much different reason.

That leaves Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina. Payton has a no-trade clause, so he would likely stay in New York, leaving Ntilikina to be the third Frenchmen to join the Pistons.

This idea was further confirmed by Ian Begley, a reporter for the Knicks. In addition to Ntilikina, Pistons fans would also hope for some sort of draft compensation, after declining offers last trade deadline for some serious draft capital.

Not only would Derrick Rose have a familiar coach, but a familiar uniform, as Rose of course was on the Knicks for the 2016-17 season.

In New York, Derrick Rose had his last major year, until he arrived in Detroit.

Rose started in all 64 of the games he played in before tearing his meniscus. He averaged 18 ppg in 32.5 minutes, his second highest total since his MVP year. About the only thing the same in New York is the Madison Square Garden itself, as the Knicks have had plenty of coaches, GM’s, and players since his departure from the Knicks.

While Shams talks about the Knicks, the phrase, “other teams also interested” has led to increased speculation that contending clubs such as the Clippers, who were named in an article on The Athletic, also have interest.

With the Pistons already in Los Angeles, it would be an easy transition for D-Rose to stay in the Staples Center and just play for the other team.

Detroit Pistons: Nothing official

There has been no official word regarding any idea of who could be going the other way,  so I decided to fire up some potential deals, but I reached an impasse. The salaries for the likely pieces to be traded didn’t match up.

Clippers point guard Patrick Beverly and Reggie Jackson have too big a number, and too small a number, respectively, so this could mean some interesting things for the Pistons.

It could either mean that there will be multiple teams involved, or multiple players, something to look for in the coming days, or maybe even hours, when Rose is eventually traded away from the Pistons.