The Detroit Pistons are trading Derrick Rose. He is on his way back to the Mecca of basketball. Reports surfaced earlier in the week that Rose and the Pistons had agreed to move the former MVP via trade. Rose signed with Detroit for the 2019-20 season. The former All-Star has been on four teams since the 2017-18 season. Those include Toronto, Cleveland, Minnesota, and of course the Motor City. The Knicks are sending Dennis Smith Jr., along with draft considerations.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium was the first to report the trade:
The Detroit Pistons are nearing agreement on deal to send Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith Jr. and draft compensation, sources tell me and @JLEdwardsIII.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2021
Of course, back in 2016-17 Rose played for the Knicks alongside Joakim Noah and others. Jeff Hornacek was the head coach at the time. They finished the season 31-51. This season the Knicks have been the buzz of the NBA with young rookies such as Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley. The big news however is the reunion with Coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose played his MVP season under Thibs in Chicago and his career had a bit of a resurgence under Thibs again in Minnesota for the 2018-19 season. Rose had a career-high in 3PT% and averaged 18 points for the first time since his Knicks season at Minnesota.
Dennis Smith Jr is headed to Detroit for an opportunity to show why he was a lottery pick in 2017. This will be his fourth different team, fifth team change since the 2017-18 season. At just 23 years old, Smith Jr has a lot of time to prove himself. Rose will be heading to a team with talented young players and should act as a veteran presence. It might also give Rose an opportunity to play when and where he is needed and extend his ability to compete deep into the season. He has yet to play more than 60 games in a season since his previous stint in NYC.
