Derrick Rose
In the aftermath of the NBA trade deadline, one of the rumored transactions that did not go down was a Ricky Rubio for Derrick Rose swap.
The New York Knicks were involved in trade rumors all throughout the calendar year as the rift between star player Carmelo Anthony and team president Phil Jackson. The Zen Master kept taking shots on social media but because of Melo's no-trade clause, he still had the last laugh and stayed in the Big Apple.
Still, Jackson was determined to make a change and according to ESPN's Marc Stein he attempted to trade off Derrick Rose to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Ricky Rubio. At first, the Knicks wanted to get another piece along with Rubio but at the last minute, they would have done well with just Rubio in exchange but the trade deadline already lapsed.
For Derrick Rose, the take-away from this scenario is that his former coach, Tom Thibodeau still takes an interest in him. It could be an option for him in free agency but even Thibs would not pay him top dollar anymore.
There is still an option for Rose to re-sign with the Knicks if they make an offer but Jackson seems intent on trading for younger players and build around Kristaps Porzingis. He has already shown his intention to trade off Rose and even Carmelo Anthony if he could.
It's likely that Jackson could pursue Rubio again in the offseason or he could shop for free agents. But Rose's best bet for free agency remains in Minnesota as Bleacher Report noted.
"Even if the Wolves do trade Rubio, there's a belief among rival teams that it would signal Thibodeau's intention to pursue a veteran point guard in free agency, such as George Hill or even Rose himself-not that Dunn was ascending to the starting job."
Teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings have yet to find a solid answer at the point guard position. Also, point guards like Jeff Teague and George Hill (from the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz respectively) are free agents and could leave their teams, leaving positions for Rose to fill.
The biggest point guard free agent is still Chris Paul of the LA Clippers. The chances of him leaving LA are slim, but if he does, Rose could be an option.
