The Detroit Pistons finally traded Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2nd-round pick.
The trade is getting mixed reviews, as both teams probably could have gone in a different direction. But Rose was comfortable going to New York and the Knicks wanted him, so they ended up being the logical landing spot.
Here is what the final trade looks like:
The Knicks got some veteran pop for their bench and the Pistons got a G-League player and a pick that could be in the high 30’s or low 40’s.
It’s hardly a blockbuster considering the players involved, but the Pistons are hoping they can make Dennis Smith Jr. into a player as they have with Jerami Grant and Josh Jackson, who have both revitalized their careers in Detroit.
Neither of these teams got much better or worse from this trade, and there is a strong argument that they both could have done better.
Here are the grades for the Derrick Rose trade for Dennis Smith Jr., starting with the New York Knicks.
Detroit Pistons: Grade for Knicks in Derrick Rose trade
The biggest question I have for the New York Knicks is why?
Sure, the Knicks are in the thick of the playoff hunt in the East, which doesn’t mean they aren’t bad because they are. And no, they didn’t give up much of anything to get him.
But they are three games under .500, so hardly contenders and it’s not as if Derrick Rose is going to get them to the Finals.
At most, the Knicks will probably tread water, maybe climb a spot or two and get wiped out in the first round of the playoffs, which isn’t much of a ceiling.
Rose hasn’t been particularly good this year but that won’t stop him from getting up shots and taking minutes from the Knicks’ young guys, something Pistons’ fans know all too well.
The Knicks have a guy in Immanuel Quickley who has arguably been better than Rose this season and might find himself losing minutes as Tom Thibodeau plays the veteran in an effort to win now.
The Knicks didn’t give up anything of value, as Smith Jr. was in the G-League but they probably didn’t make their team any better and may end up blocking their promising rookie.
All for Derrick Rose?
GRADE: D
Detroit Pistons: Grade for the Derrick Rose trade
The package that the Pistons got for Derrick Rose was pretty much what people expected, as he is old, in decline and only has half a season left on his deal.
The Pistons get to take a chance on Smith Jr. to see if he can find a new life in Detroit and they pick up a late pick as well.
But they could have gotten more if they had just traded Rose sooner.
The Pistons waited too long to try and move him and might have had more contenders lining up if they thought they were getting a full season and a half of Rose instead of just the rest of this one.
I get that he was injured before the shutdown last season but Detroit had plenty of time to move him before that and even more time to do it this past offseason.
The trade market for Rose was limited as there just weren’t any teams willing to give up a first-round pick in a loaded draft for a half season of Rose.
Even the Knicks might have given up more if the Pistons had sent Rose to New York in the offseason instead of waiting for the deadline, as they have Dallas’ first-round pick, which was a lot less valuable at the beginning of the season.
I was at least hoping that Detroit could get back their own second-round pick, as it is likely to be at the top of the draft. Instead, they got Charlotte’s, which won’t likely be as good.
Because they waited too long and didn’t really get an asset for Rose, I can’t give this trade high marks even though most agree the Pistons won the trade.
GRADE: C