The New York Knicks came into this season hoping to legitimately contend in the Eastern Conference.
Through 36 games, they haven’t been able to do much of that. The team is 18-18 and, after getting everyone excited with an eight-game winning streak, subsequently turned around and lost five straight.
Not great.
One of the outstanding issues that the Knicks have yet to address is what they will do with Derrick Rose.
Rose, at one point, was a huge catalyst for New York’s resurgence and entry into the playoffs two years ago. But since then, injuries and age have taken him out of the rotation. He has been fairly open with his thoughts about that.
Trading the 34-year-old would seem to make sense for all parties involved.
In a conversation with NBA insider Sean Deveney, one league executive pointed to the Miami Heat as a potential landing spot for Rose.
“Miami is a team to look at there, they’re not confident that Kyle Lowry will be healthy in the playoffs, and they’ve had interest in Rose before,” the exec said.
Lowry has proved to be more reliable this season than he was last year. He has played through when the likes of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have not.
That said, he is 36 years and has been averaging nearly 36 minutes per game. That is not an ideal combination. The last time he played this much was in 2019.
Rose could prove to be a great insurance policy — at the right price.
While Rose isn’t the player he once was, he can still be a solid contributor on a championship team if placed in the right situation. He still has a ton of swagger both on and off the court.
There is a reason why youngsters like Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant still talk about Rose the way they do. He still commands a lot of respect.
If the Heat ultimately make a move for Rose, it could pump some much-needed fresh life into his career. And it could also lead to him getting the NBA championship that has eluded him thus far.
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