The New York Knicks have agreed to a trade with the Detroit Pistons to acquire guard Derrick Rose in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round draft pick (via Charlotte). The transaction will reunite Rose with former head coach Tom Thibodeau, whose New York club is in desperate need of a short-term fix at the point guard position.
As for Detroit, the trade is another indication that the club has given up its designs to compete for a postseason spot and will soon undergo a full rebuild. After signing Jerami Grant to a three-year deal valued at over $60 million during the offseason, the Pistons had hoped that a rejuvenated Blake Griffin could pair with Grant to launch the team back into the playoffs. With the team currently stuck at the bottom of the standings with a 5-18 record, that wish seems further off than ever before, however.
That said, the move represents an adequate exchange of value for both sides. To help break it all down, here are our grades for the Knicks and Pistons following Derrick Rose's trade.
New York Knicks: B
Though it may not be the type of blockbuster move Knicks fans have long dreamed of, the trade for Rose is also not the overpay for a washed-up veteran that the organization has become renowned for in recent decades. Instead, Rose's ability to provide offensive depth at point guard should pay immediate dividends for a club that has been shockingly thin at the position for years.
Currently averaging a tidy 14 points per game in just over 21 minutes of action, Rose excels at speeding around picks and getting into the heart of the defense. While he may no longer retain quite the same explosiveness that he did in his heyday, the point guard still has a nose for getting to the basket, with nearly 35 percent of his possessions finishing around the rim, according to tracking data from Synergy Sports.
Considering that defenses have mostly countered by helping off the screener in an attempt to quarrel Rose before he can gain a full head of steam, the Knicks boast surprisingly well-suited personnel to give the point guard space to operate.
With Julius Randle shooting 40 percent (!!) from behind the arc and proving that he is more than capable of handling the rock, opponents may find themselves watching helplessly as Rose deftly passes out of traps to a popping Randle behind the line or as the two work a give and go game. Regardless of the specifics of the action, the play between the two veterans has the potential to be legitimately fun basketball, something that has only existed in fits and starts in Madison Square Garden over recent years.
The only potential downside of the trade is its effects on the minutes of rookie Immanuel Quickley. While Derrick Rose may represent a slight upgrade offensively in the near term, there's no question that the former Kentucky Wildcat has the goods to be the point guard of the future.
Watch any Knicks game and what's sure to stand out is the type of spacing Quickley provides off the dribble. Though his shooting hasn't quite matched the reputation he earned in college, the rookie gets into the lane with such ease that defenses often can't help but start an emergency rotation from the weak side that opens up an entire side of the floor and gives an advantage to his teammates. Even if he doesn't possess the type of athleticism to slam it home over defenders, his deadly floater earns the same amount of points and is quickly—no pun intended—becoming one of the most aesthetically pleasing shots in the league.
However, given Tom Thibodeau's general aversion towards playing young players, and his known fondness for Rose, there are legitimate concerns that the newly acquired guard could end up taking minutes away from the rookie. While the Knicks currently find themselves in the playoff mix, sacrificing the development of a promising player for a postseason appearance is the type of shortsighted move many had hoped the franchise had left behind. If this is the route the team opts to take, then this trade has the potential to be a complete failure.
Detroit Pistons: B+
It's difficult to grade the Pistons bounty in a vacuum when considering the array of bad decisions the organization has made recently. From the acquisition of Blake Griffin to Andre Drummond's jettisoning for pennies on the dollar—not to mention the plethora of bad draft selections—Detroit has time and again prioritized the short term over long-term planning.
However, while neither Dennis Smith Jr. nor the second-round draft pick that the Pistons will receive is likely to alter the franchise's course by themselves, their acquisition does at least signal a change of thinking for the team.
With Rose operating in the final year of his contract, any return Detroit was hoping to receive would have been marginal. In getting a reclamation project in Smith—similar to that of Josh Jackson—as well as a pick, the Pistons have acquired just that. Still, one can't help but be hopeful that Rose's trade represents a pivot towards the full rebuild the team has long required. While both Griffin and Jerami Grant will continue to clutter the team's cap space for the next two seasons, the Pistons should have enough room to serve as a way station for teams looking to drop excess contracts in exchange for draft compensation.
If trading Derrick Rose was Detroit's first foray into this type of plan, then the Pistons may deserve a higher grade than we are giving them.
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