The Bulls season isn’t getting off to the start that everyone had hoped for. They sit at 0-3 after the first week of the season concludes. With the slow start thus far there have already been talks of who the Bulls should trade for to improve this team. One player has continuously come up for more than one reason, that player is Pistons PG Derrick Rose. There are multiple reasons why people want to see Rose in a Bulls jersey again. However, the question remains, does trading for Rose make sense for the Bulls right now?
What would it take?
There are a few different trade ideas out there for the Bulls to bring Rose back to Chicago. They all center around Bulls forward Chandler Hutchison. Most trade packages surround Hutchison with a pair of second-round picks to entice the Pistons to make the move.
If it comes down to trying to offset the books then the Bulls would need to throw someone in like guard Ryan Arcidiacano to make the money even out. This wouldn’t be a ton for the Bulls to give up to bring Rose back.
It’s a matter of if the Bulls believe trading away a 24-year-old player in Hutchison is worth bringing in a 32-year-old Derrick Rose for a year. This trade wouldn’t make a major impact in terms of what the Bulls would lose as Hutchison has only averaged 15 minutes per game this season. What would the Bulls be getting in return?
The Pros
One of the main pros to making a trade like this would be giving PG Coby White a mentor. Bringing in Derrick Rose who had so much success as a PG in Chicago would be great for White. It would give him a good mentor who has been through a lot in the NBA. A mentor for White might be exactly what he needs at this stage as he’s being asked to take over as leader of this team, Rose can certainly provide that.
Derrick Rose talking about how he plans to mentor rookie Killian Hayes this season with the Pistons.
It’s impossible not to root for this guy. Definition of true leadership 💯 pic.twitter.com/Q03623j87H
— Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopNBA) December 6, 2020
Rose has been playing good basketball recently. In the 2019-20 season, Rose averaged 18.1 PPG, 48.2 FG%, 37 3FG%, & 5.6 APG. With two games played this season Rose is averaging 14 PPG & 5 APG. He looks to continue his success from a season ago while mentoring the Piston’s most recent draft pick. Rose still appears to have a lot of basketball left in him and Chicago would certainly welcome him back with open arms. Rose and SG Zach LaVine could pair well with one another as White tries to learn the ropes of being a true PG. This combination could be exactly what Chicago has been looking for out of their guards.
Another pro is Rose’s contract situation. His contract will be up after this year and he is only owed $7.6 million for this season. The team wouldn’t be taking on some major contract if they bring him aboard. Also, they will have a fail-safe if things don’t work out with the expiring contract. The Bulls have made it known that they want to save cap space for a big free agent next season.
Updated Chicago Bulls Cap Sheet
At this time I project the Bulls at about 31 million in cap space next off-season. That is not counting their potential 2021 draft pick salary. The Bulls are setting up for flexibility to create max space in 2021. pic.twitter.com/9d18iJ208h
— The Bulls GM (@RyanBorja) November 23, 2020
They are on track to do just that so bringing in a big contract isn’t in the cards for them. That’s why Rose would fit the bill right now.
The Cons
The biggest con of this trade is simply the unknown. Like I said above Chandler Hutchison is only 24 years old and entering his third year in the league. He could be a bench warmer the rest of his time in the league or he could bloom into a star. It’s unknown at this stage what the future may hold. That’s where the Bulls may be concerned. While they don’t have to worry about a lengthy contract with Rose they could be giving up young talent for one season of Derrick Rose. This is all part of the risk involved with trades that include young prospects.
Long term fit is another con to this trade. Here’s a scenario that could play out with Rose coming to the Bulls. Let’s say Rose comes in and plays at the same level or better as last year. The Bulls are then stuck with making a decision, do they spend money to bring Rose back or do they let him walk? They want to save money for a big-name free agent but if Rose was the thing holding the team together and they let him walk then what free agent will want to come to Chicago. In this scenario, it’s almost a win-lose. They can bring back Rose and have a solid presence at PG but at the same time, they may lose money to bring in someone big.
There honestly aren’t a ton of cons right now when you look at this trade. It would all come down to Bulls management wanting this trade to happen.
Time to bring Derrick Rose home
I’m sure many Chicago fans would agree that it’s time to bring Derrick Rose back to Chicago. This is something that Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Atruras Karnisovas should seriously consider.
This is no overreaction to how the Bulls have started the season. Here we are looking more at player development while also contributing to the team. Rose can help this team in a multitude of ways and the price tag isn’t steep. While others may disagree I believe it’s time to bring Derrick home and let him help right the ship in Chicago.
