While the Chicago Bulls have been relatively quiet on the NBA trade deadline day, one former star of the team could be on the move according to a new report.
That report, which comes from ESPN’s Marc Stein, says that the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves are engaged in ongoing conversations about sending Derrick Rose to Minnesota in a swap of point guards. The report says that the main piece going back to the Knicks would be Ricky Rubio, and while other names weren’t reported as part of the deal, odds are it would be more than a one-for-one swap.
If Rose were to be traded to the Timberwolves, he would be reunited with the coach that helped him to the most success he’s had in his career. That coach is Tom Thibodeau, who led the Bulls for five seasons and saw Rose blossom into one of the best point guards in the NBA as he won the 2011 NBA MVP award.
Rose will be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Timberwolves are likely looking to acquire him because of that fact. Rubio still has two more years left on a deal that is paying him $13.5 million per season, and dropping that salary would give the Timberwolves some money to play with as they look to acquire free agents to join their roster.
In his first season with the Knicks, Rose is averaging 17.7 points and 4.5 assists per game, and he has appeared in 48 of the team's games thus far.
