JULY 3: Rose’s two-year, minimum-salary deal is official. The Grizzlies put out a press release announcing the signing.
JUNE 30: Free agent point guard Derrick Rose intends to sign a multiyear contract with the Grizzlies, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), it will be a two-year deal for the former MVP. Shams Charania of The Athletic has more details, tweeting that it’ll be a fully guaranteed minimum-salary contract.
A former Memphis Tigers star before he entered the NBA, Rose has battled injuries over the last several seasons and fell out of the Knicks’ rotation this past season even when he was healthy. In 27 total appearances for New York in 2022/23, he averaged a career-worst 5.6 points per game on .384/.302/.917 shooting.
Still, Rose put up solid numbers during the two prior seasons (13.8 PPG, 4.1 APG, .462/.394/.886 shooting in 76 games), and the Grizzlies seem to believe the 34-year-old still has something left in the tank.
According to Wojnarowski, Memphis envisions Rose as a player who can contribute on the floor and be a leader in the locker room. He and recently acquired guard Marcus Smart will give a new look to a Grizzlies backcourt that no longer features Tyus Jones and will be without star point guard Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season.
The Grizzlies already have 14 players on guaranteed salaries for 2023/24 even before adding Rose, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to complete the signing and call it an offseason. The team still has flexibility to make trades or to use the mid-level exception.
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