Weekly Mailbag: 7/3/17 – 7/9/17

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

Which veteran free agent guard would best suit the Knicks, Derrick Rose or Rajon Rondo? — Charles Johnson, via Twitter

If we are to believe what the Knicks are saying, they want to get serious about building around a young core of Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, Frank Ntilikina and the newly acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. That means no long-term, big-money offers for veterans like the 31-year-old Rondo or the 28-year-old Rose. Things could always change, of course. A trade of Carmelo Anthony or Courtney Lee could free up cap room or David Griffin could make the case for some veteran leadership if he becomes the new GM, but for now count New York out of the race for Rondo and Rose.

Any closer to knowing what will happen with D-Rose? Are the Bucks still trying to clear space to get him, or has that passed? — Ben J. Fischer, via Twitter

Rose had a meeting with Milwaukee this week, but it looks like an awkward fit. The Bucks are already about $10MM over the cap, so the only way they could afford him is in a sign-and-trade with the Knicks, probably involving Greg Monroe, who is entering the final year of his contract. Also, Milwaukee spent heavily on a point guard last summer in Matthew Dellavedova, and Giannis Antetokounmpo runs the offense there anyway. Right now, there isn’t a clear landing spot for Rose unless he’s willing to take a short-term deal or drastically reduce his salary expectations.

What direction do the Grizzlies go in the offseason? How bad do they regret giving Chandler Parsons $94MM? — Hugh Austin

The first year of the Parsons deal was a disaster. He managed just 34 games and had another knee surgery, this time in March to repair a partial tear of his left medial meniscus. However, Parsons is only 28, is under contract for three more seasons and remains a very good player when healthy. Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace took an optimistic approach toward Parsons last month, saying the team expects him to be a full participant when training camp opens in September. But the Parsons contract does limit Memphis’ options in free agency, especially when combined with large deals for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, giving them three players who will make more than $74MM next season. The Grizzlies will be limited to small deals as long as all three remain on the roster.