New York Knicks Are Rolling the Dice on Derrick Rose, but Not Betting Big

The New York Knicks traded Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, and Jose Calderon for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and a 2017 second-round pick. Here’s an excerpt from my piece on the trade.

If Rose gets hurt or doesn’t play well, the Knicks can wash their hands at the end of next season and enter the summer of 2017 with loads of cap space, depending on what they do in free agency this summer. They’d have then dealt away two assets for only a year of Rose, but one can certainly argue it was worth a shot to see if he could recapture the magic.

If Rose does play well, though, that arguably puts the Knicks in an even more precarious position. The best case scenario is that Rose returns to something resembling his former self and helps, along with Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and whomever the Knicks sign this summer, lead them back to the playoffs for the first time in three years.

It’s difficult to envision them getting a better return on their investment than that, this season.

However, do they then pay the 28-year old point guard that just led them back to the playoffs but also has a history of serious knee injuries big money on a long-term deal; or do they let him walk?

This is the franchise that signed Amar’e Stoudemire to an uninsured $100 million contract and traded for guys like Antonio McDyess. It’s easy to say that Rose would be different, but it’s also no sure thing.

Read the full story at Bleacher Report.