Could New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose return to the Chicago Bulls in the offseason? It's an idea that makes sense.

With the Knicks now focused on their summer after a successful year where they made the Eastern Conference semifinals, one of the key areas to address is the future of Rose.

The veteran guard has a $15.6 million team option for the 2023/24 season which is a pretty big number for a player that featured in just 27 regular season games.

Common sense dictates that New York will decline that team option with Rose subsequently hitting free agency.

If that is the case, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and New York Daily News Knicks beat writer Stefan Bondy speculate a return to Chicago could be on the cards and makes sense as well.

“In my opinion, I think the Chicago Bulls make a ton of sense for Derrick Rose in free agency,” Scotto said on the latest HoopsHype podcast episode. “It would be a nice homecoming for him towards the end of his career. We saw when he was back in town how beloved he is still by that fan base.

“They’ll be missing Lonzo Ball, and if they’re trying to compete and win, he’s an excellent bridge as a veteran mentor to some of the young guys on that roster, and I think he still has some gas left in the tank.”

Bondy agreed that the Knicks were unlikely to pick up the team option and that a Bulls return could happen.

Obviously, they’re not going to pick up that team option, and he’s going to hit free agency,” Bondy added. “… As far as the Bulls, I could totally see that.”

Rose, of course, started his career with the Bulls in 2008 and went on to become one of the most dominant players in the league, winning the 2011 MVP award.

Unfortunately, injuries would derail his career and he departed Chi-Town in 2016.