Derrick Rose: 5 potential landing spots in 2017 NBA free agency
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler didn’t exactly flourish in their last stint together with the Chicago Bulls, but if there’s one thing we know about Tom Thibodeau, it’s that he loves his former players.
Remember, it was only a few months ago that reports of a Derrick Rose-Ricky Rubio trade were floating around. To be fair though, it was Thibs and the Minnesota Timberwolves who ultimately turned down a straight up one-for-one trade offer, so this whole Thibodeau-Rose reunion could just be overblown.
At the finish line, league sources say, New York was prepared to trade Derrick Rose for Ricky Rubio straight up. But the Wolves balked.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 23, 2017
The recent trade for Butler would make signing Rose a questionable proposition given their lack of chemistry in the Windy City. To be perfectly honest, one of the best point guard options for a Minnesota team that now boasts three bonafide scorers like Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns is a pass-first, defensive-minded player exactly like Rubio.
However, ESPN‘s Marc Stein reported after the Butler trade that the Wolves were still pursuing a Rubio trade — albeit in the pursuit of more shooting, which Rose certainly doesn’t provide.
This option is more narrative-driven than anything, but with Butler now joining Thibs in Chicago, Rubio being on the block and the Wolves potentially in the hunt for a new point guard, we can’t completely rule it out just yet.