Knicks officially pick up Derrick Rose from Pistons

Following a trade, Derrick Rose has rejoined Tom Thibodeau in New York.

The trade, which was widely reported over the weekend, sends Dennis Smith Jr. and a second-round pick to the Pistons and was made official on Monday morning.

.@nyknicks Acquire Derrick Rose pic.twitter.com/eqfBSOwGad

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 8, 2021

This trade brings Rose and Thibodeau back together, who were previously player and coach in Chicago. It was under Thibodeau’s coaching that Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history at the age of 22 in 2011.

Rose spent a single season in New York where he averaged 18 points in 2016-17, before teaming up with Thibodeau again in Minnesota. He is currently in his second season with Detroit.

ESPN and The Athletic were the first to report the deal.

The Detroit Pistons are nearing agreement on deal to send Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith Jr. and draft compensation, sources tell me and @JLEdwardsIII.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2021

Sources tell ESPN that Detroit has confirmed a trade deal with New York, which will see guard Derrick Rose move to New York in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round pick from Charlotte. The trade reunites Rose with Tom Thibodeau, his former coach in Chicago and Minnesota.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2021

In the early stages of his career, Rose was one of the NBA’s most dynamic players, leading Thibodeau’s defense-focused teams to achieve the league’s best record. However, his career was marred by a series of knee injuries and neither he nor the Bulls were able to replicate their initial success.

Rose, however, continues to be an effective reserve player, averaging roughly 18 points in the past two seasons. This season he has scored an average of 14.2 points in 15 games.

Most importantly, he is acquainted with Thibodeau, who could benefit from additional scoring power in his inaugural season in New York.

“Like myself, he’s one of those guys who’s been around the system,” said Knicks forward Taj Gibson, who also had stints in Chicago and Minnesota. “We have an understanding of what Thibs generally expects.”

Elfrid Payton is the starting point guard for the Knicks, while first-round pick Immanuel Quickley has performed impressively in his bench role.

How might Derrick Rose be able to help the Knicks this season?

Smith, a past top-10 pick, was unable to leave a significant mark in New York following his acquisition from Dallas as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade over two years ago. He wasn’t part of Thibodeau’s rotation and had plans to join the Knicks’ G League affiliate just to get some game time. However, he departs after averaging a mere 8.7 points in 58 games.

The deal furthers the Pistons’ total revamp of their roster from last season, as they have already parted ways with players like Andre Drummond, Luke Kennard, Reggie Jackson, and Christian Wood.

Last season, Rose provided a boost to the Pistons, but he wasn’t very beneficial to the team in their rebuilding phase this year. His scoring and playing time dropped as Detroit turned to rookie point guard Killian Hayes before his injury, with Delon Wright also delivering a solid performance in that position.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.