NBA Trade Grades: Chicago Bulls Trade Derrick Rose To New York Knicks

New York Knicks

Just when it felt like the New York Knicks were doing the right thing — trying to build around Kristaps Porzingis with the full-scale overhaul this franchise has badly needed for decades — Phil Jackson makes a trade that would’ve been highway murder five years ago.

In the present day and age, however, trading for a washed-up and injury-prone point guard whose chief value comes in his star power and marketability is the exact kind of short-sighted move that has defined the Knicks for far too long.

A core of Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis (and possibly Dwight Howard, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley) sounds great on paper…if that paper came from the year 2011. The reality is that’s an awful lot of ball-dominant, injury-prone players to put on the court together.

You can understand the Knicks wanting to put a more competitive team around Melo, and the truth is that D-Rose’s flashes of greatness last year were far better than anything Calderon or Grant brought to the court.

But Rose’s flashes of his former self were too few and far between, even if the Knicks actually intended to let him walk in free agency next summer — which, if we’re being honest, seems unlikely as they try to assemble a playoff team.

The cap room New York was projected to have next summer is starting to shrink up as rumors about Dwight Howard and a more long-term future for Rose persist, which feels like a waste since having so much max cap space was New York’s biggest ticket into a new era.

Instead, the Knicks may now try to sign D-12, Joakim Noah or Pau Gasol, essentially making this team a version of last year’s underwhelming Bulls squad with Melo and Porzingis thrown in. Jeff Hornacek might enjoy Rose’s dynamic athleticism while he’s out there, but how long will that be?

New York can walk away from Rose if he struggles with injury, but if that’s the case, they gave up a lot of flexibility for a player who would’ve been replaced by Tony Wroten — another injury-prone guard — until they waived him. There’s also the problem of New York not having a starting center now.

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Unless Jackson can sign useful role players to short one- or two-year deals, any player the Knicks bring on is going to eat into next year’s cap space, when 2017 free agency will be a bonanza. Perhaps Rose can build on his first full-ish season since 2011-12, but there’s only so much of the ball to go around between him, Melo and the Zinger.

Grade: D+