The NBA’s offseason got its first big jolt on Wednesday when the New York Knicks acquired former NBA MVP Derrick Rose in a trade with the Chicago Bulls that sent Robin Lopez and Jerian Grant to the Windy City.
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It’s no secret by now that in a lot of ways, Derrick Rose has turned out to be a bust for the Chicago Bulls.
Hill, 30, averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 assists with the Pacers last season. NY also acquired the services of reserve guard Justin Holiday and Chicago’s second round selection in the 2017 NBA Draft. That number will change once they add free agents this summer, but the Knicks will likely have enough money to add one maximum salaried player in the summer of 2017 with plenty of money left over.
“With Derrick Rose on board, some in the Knicks organization want to make a run at Bulls center – and soon to be free agent – Joakim Noah, sources say”, ESPN New York’s Ian Begley wrote Wednesday.
Considering the dumpster fire the Knicks trotted out at point guard last season – Calderon started 72 games (!) for them – Rose will be a significant upgrade. The last few years have been hard on him, as they have the Knicks, and maybe they can find success together. According to Wojnarowski and Charania, Rose’s arrival could send the Knicks sniffing around Gasol – who has a long-standing relationship with team president Phil Jackson dating back to their time with the Los Angeles Lakers – and Noah.
Calderon, 6-3, 200-pounds, averaged 7.6 points, on 45.9-percent shooting, and 4.1 assists over 28.1 minutes in 72 games (all starts) during his second season with NY. Which is a lot closer than the Knicks are and will be probably for the next 100 years. Not only will Rose command far more defensive attention and respect than the likes of Calderon and Grant did in 2015-16, but he’s also far more adept at creating offense for teammates off drive-and-kick opportunities than either of those players.
In the day’s other move, Indianapolis natives George Hill and Jeff Teague were traded, with Hill going to Utah, Teague to the Pacers and the No. 12 pick on Thursday from the Jazz to Atlanta, who will turn to Dennis Schroder as its starting point guard.
Although the deal can not be announced officially, Hill’s agent, Bill Neff, confirmed the details.
Exum, the No.5 pick from the 2014 Draft, did not play a game last season, having ruptured his ACL while playing for Australia previous year.
Rose, the first overall pick by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft, has career averages of 19.7 points and 6.2 assists.
Hill and Teague both have one year left on their current deals and each is scheduled to make $8 million this season.
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Sixers: Barring a series of unreal events, the Sixers are likely to select Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick in the National Basketball Association draft Thursday. In the new year, he averaged 17.7 points and 4.4 assists a game while getting his shooting percentage back up to 45.3 percent. The potential to explode as the NBA’s best 1-2 punch was there.
