New York Knicks veteran guard Derrick Rose may soon find a new home.
Rose, a healthy scratch in the Knicks’ 92-81 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, is drawing interest from the Dallas Mavericks, per Rich Bucher of Fox Sports.
Thibodeau explained that Rose’s DNP on Sunday was because of the back-to-back schedule. Rose was productive in 13 minutes off the bench against the Mavericks last Saturday with four points, two rebounds and three assists.
Second-year guard Miles McBride took over Rose’s spot in Thibodeau’s nine-man rotation last Sunday, and his stout defense helped the Knicks slow down the Cavaliers’ All-Star backcourt.
Despite slimming down to his rookie weight at the behest of his long-time coach Tom Thibodeau, Rose has been lost in the shuffle in New York. His shrinking role prompted the former MVP to quip, “I’m in the unknown,” earlier this season.
The Mavericks are desperate to get another playmaker behind Luka Doncic after losing Jalen Brunson in the offseason. Interestingly, Brunson’s arrival in New York has drastically reduced Rose’s role.
Dallas took a gamble on another former Knick point guard Kemba Walker last week but the oft-injured veteran has yet to suit up.
Dallas GM Nico Harrison’s recent comments about Walker’s knee were discouraging.
“It’s one [knee]. It’s not good. It’s not good at all, but he’s rehabbed it. And it’s the best he felt in the last two years. So we’ll see how long that lasts.”
If the Knicks would move on from Rose, who is averaging career lows across the board — 6.4 points and 2.0 assists in 13.6 minutes, they will likely want a draft compensation instead of another solid player that will only add to their rotation crunch.
Thibodeau’s latest decision to stick to a nine-man roster indicates Rose will fight for the last spot against much younger McBride and Cam Reddish.
Rose is just a year and a half removed from being the catalyst of the Knicks’ surprising playoff run in the 2021-22 season when he averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 assists in 35 games since a mid-season trade. He was the Knicks’ best player in the five-game series against the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 19.4 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds.
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