Knicks Maintain ‘Serious’ Interest In Derrick Rose

With several potential point guard options falling off the board, the Knicks maintain interest in Derrick Rose, league sources tell ESPN’s Ian Begley. Begley’s ESPN colleague Jeff Goodman classifies Rose as a “serious option” for the team as targets Ricky Rubio (traded to Jazz), Jeff Teague (agreed to sign with Timberwolves), and Jrue Holiday (agreed to re-sign with Pelicans) are no longer available.

Just yesterday, Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News called a Rose reunion in New York a “long shot.” The 28-year-old Chicago native posted solid numbers in his first season with the Knicks in 2016/17, averaging 18.0 PPG and 4.4 APG in 32.5 MPG through 64 contests. However, Rose’s defense and outside shooting was suspect, and his season included going AWOL in early January and suffering a torn meniscus toward the end of the year.

Begley has reported that free agent George Hill is a possible target in free agency for New York. Also, Marc J. Spears of ESPN indicated today (via Twitter) that free agent Michael Carter-Williams has received interest from the Knicks. However, the team would need to clear out cap space to entice Hill with a competitive offer and Carter-Williams has struggled to regain his Rookie of the Year form in the three seasons since winning the award.

Considering the Knicks hold Rose’s Bird rights, the former MVP makes some sense from a cap perspective. The Knicks would have about $15MM in cap room if they were to renounce their rights to him. If more point guards are traded and/or sign elsewhere, the oft-injured Rose may return to New York and possibly serve as a mentor for eight overall pick Frank Ntilikina.