Knicks Rumors: Five Reasons To Love The Derrick Rose Trade
2. Free Agency Flexibility
The New York Knicks were about to enter a period of free agency without a single point guard worthy of a max contract. After Mike Conley—who’s battling tendinitis in his achilles—and Rajon Rondo—who has a history of agitating coaches—was a glaring absence of star-caliber talent.
By trading for Derrick Rose, the New York Knicks have dodged the bullet of overpaying for a point guard in 2016.
The Knicks will now have Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingis locked in as starters in 2016-17. New York will also have roughly the same amount of cap space as it was was projected to possess before trading for Rose.
In other words, New York will have roughly $30 million to spend with three potential star-caliber players already present.
New York no longer has to dodge the star-caliber big men who dominate the 2016 class of free agents. The Knicks can also define what they need out of a shooting guard instead of merely going for a talent who may not fit a year from today.
This move may seem like a gamble, but it actually creates more flexibility than the Knicks would’ve possessed without this exact trade for Rose.
Next: Calculated Urgency