NBA: 5 Teams That Should Trade For Derrick Rose
4. New Orleans Pelicans
Sitting 6.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, it’s time for the New Orleans Pelicans to stop riding Anthony Davis so hard and submit to the tank. Even better, since everyone on the roster other than AD is basically expendable, any trade that can bring in an asset of any kind is useful at this point.
With Tyreke Evans‘ season-ending knee injury making him an unappealing trade target, NOLA’s most attractive asset is Ryan Anderson. But the Pellies might prefer to keep him past the deadline and re-sign him this summer, and his $8.5 million salary would mean they’d have to include another piece in a swap for D-Rose.
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The same could be said of Jrue Holiday, who, like Rose, has been playing a lot better despite his extensive injury history. His contract extends through the 2016-17 season and his $11.2 million would also require the Pelicans to include another sizable contract in a trade for Rose.
The only contract that could be traded for Rose straight up is Eric Gordon, who is set to come off the books this summer as an unrestricted free agent. The Pelicans might prefer to just absorb that extra cap space by letting Gordon go this summer, but unless a full-scale roster blow-up is coming at the deadline, the front office will want this team to be better next season.
Rose helps on that front, and getting something out of a depreciating asset like Gordon would be advisable, even if the Pellies would probably have to sacrifice a future draft pick of some kind to get this deal done. New Orleans could then see how the year plays out with two injury-prone point guards before making a decision on Holiday vs. Rose (vs. another point guard in free agency).
The Bulls, meanwhile, would be throwing in the towel on this season, but they could let Gordon walk in free agency and pocket a future first rounder — a decent haul for Rose at this point. However, the same problem arises as with the Lakers trade: moving Rose for the likes of Gordon and a future draft pick would demoralize the fan base.
Next: No. 3