Detroit Pistons: 3 possible trade destinations for Derrick Rose
By Duncan Smith
What a Derrick Rose trade with the Los Angeles Lakers would look like
The Lakers are looking to repeat as NBA champions, and if they had one weakness last season it was in the secondary ball-handler and scorer department. Their argument for the third-best player was between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and perhaps Rajon Rondo. While all three of these players performed admirably, the Lakers will need something more next season.
Somebody who can create their own offense off the bench like Rose could go a long way towards bolstering their weaknesses, and they don’t need Rose to play heavy minutes in order to get into the playoffs like the Pistons do.
On the downside, the Lakers can trade their first-round pick this season, and no other first-rounders until 2027. So the draft capital that could be exchanged for Rose’s services is minimal in the grand scheme of things. In addition, because so much of their roster will be entering free agency, Kyle Kuzma is probably the best player the Lakers can offer.
Kuzma is fine, but at 25, he’s “not as young as you think” and doesn’t do much to move the needle for the Pistons in spite of his local ties to the Flint area. However, if the Pistons are in a position at the trade deadline where they lose Derrick Rose for nothing or can get a second-round pick and Kuzma, they probably make that deal.