New York Knicks: 2016 Offseason Grades

The D-Rose Trade

In a deal with the Chicago Bulls to start off their offseason, the Knicks traded for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick, sending Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant to the Windy City in return.

Just when it felt like the New York Knicks were doing the right thing — trying to build around Kristaps Porzingis with the kind of full-scale overhaul this franchise has badly needed for decades — Jackson made a trade that would’ve been highway robbery 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 Joakim Noah sounds great on paper…if that paper came from the year 2011. The reality is that in 2016, 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.

After the All-Star Break, Rose averaged a more respectable 17.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game on .468/.375/.784 shooting splits.

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

The cap room New York was projected to have next summer is starting to shrink up, and the first domino was Rose. The Knicks’ offseason was dedicated to putting a playoff-caliber team around Melo, and if D-Rose manages to stay relatively healthy while helping New York back to the postseason, is there any doubt Jackson will re-sign him to a massively inflated deal next summer?

Taking a one-year flier on a former superstar isn’t the problem; giving up assets on shorter, cheaper deals (Lopez and Grant) for what might become a bloated contract is the issue. All in all, this trade felt like a waste since having so cap flexibility (and, ideally, draft picks) was New York’s best ticket into a new era.

Instead, the Knicks went and added Rose’s teammate Noah, essentially making this team a version of last year’s underwhelming Bulls squad with Melo and Porzingis thrown in. New head coach Jeff Hornacek might enjoy Rose’s dynamic athleticism while he’s out there, but how long will that be?

Since Jackson avoided signing useful role players to short one- or two-year deals, the Knicks ate 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+

Next: Signing Noah