NBA Trade Grades: Chicago Bulls Trade Derrick Rose To New York Knicks
Chicago Bulls
Back in 2011, Rose was finishing up his MVP season, averaging 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game and leading the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 record. He was the greatest Bull since Jordan, and for the Windy City, it was “Rose before hoes.”
At the time, it seemed ludicrous that Chicago would ever consider trading their hometown hero, let alone for a package centered around Robin Lopez and an unproven second-year guard.
But after so many debilitating injuries, his controversial comments about looking ahead to his 2017 free agency and his unstable fit with Jimmy Butler in the backcourt, Rose’s value was a shell of its former self.
This past season, Rose stayed the healthiest he’s been since his ACL tear at the start of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, but his production was inconsistent. Though Rose showed flashes of his former MVP self, for the most part he was merely average, posting 16.4 points, 4.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game on .427/.293/.793 shooting splits in 68 appearances.
Bulls knew they had to address Rose-Butler dynamic. They also knew Rose was walking in 17.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) June 22, 2016
With Rose looking to make major money next summer and the Bulls wisely unwilling to surrender it out of pure nostalgia, it was time to finally move on to the Jimmy Butler era.
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This trade accomplishes that, even though it may be understandably hard for the Rose diehards to accept. An era that began with promises of bringing a championship back to the Windy City is over, and it’s hard not to think about what might have been if not for all those injuries.
A haul of Lopez, Grant, Calderon and a future second-rounder is hardly sexy, but it does position the Bulls relatively well for their inevitable rebuild around Jimmy Buckets. Lopez is signed on for the next three seasons at a manageable $13.8 million average salary, he’s a serviceable starting center and at this point in his career, he’s probably a more useful player than Rose.
With Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol likely to leave in free agency, adding Lopez to the roster gives the Bulls stability and defense at the starting center spot.
Given depth of PG position, Rose's health/play, expiring deal, etc, not much of a market for him. Bulls did well to get Rolo and Grant.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 22, 2016
Grant was unimpressive during his rookie season in New York, averaging 5.6 points and 2.3 assists in 16.6 minutes per game. But he didn’t get nearly enough run time on a team that should’ve been starting him over Calderon when it quickly became clear the playoffs weren’t happening, so Grant still has plenty of room for growth.
Calderon is a veteran who plays close to no defense, but he gives Chicago a pass-first option at point guard to feed Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic as many touches as needed.
Moving on from the Derrick Rose era will be an emotional experience for many Chicago fans, and even those who recognize his all-time low value will have a hard time not reflecting on what might have been and the series of unfortunate events that led us to this end.
But from a purely logical standpoint, this trade for decent players on manageable/cheap/expiring contracts is a smart one for the Bulls.
Grade: B-
Next: New York Knicks