Derrick Rose Rumors: Bucks Meeting Reportedly Set Amid Latest Knicks Talk

Free-agent point guard Derrick Rose will meet with Milwaukee Bucks officials Monday, though financial obstacles remain for a potential deal.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news, noting the Bucks will have to shed salary to land any major free agent.

Rose, 28, is one of the last major point guard dominoes left to fall during the early part of the free-agency period. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 64 games last season with the New York Knicks.

The Bucks face a difficult road carving out enough money to meet Rose's likely salary demands. They were already well over the $99 million salary cap before agreeing to a four-year, $46 million contract with Tony Snell. While Snell could wait to sign that deal to keep his cap hold artificially low, it would still take some unnecessary shedding of talent and salaries to make a Rose pact happen.

The Bucks would still be less than $10 million under the cap if they moved Greg Monroe for nothing, per Basketball Insiders. A team would probably require a first-round pick in exchange for taking on Mirza Teletovic's $21 million remaining over the next two years.

This is all without even acknowledging that Rose is a poor fit and wouldn't move the needle in a significant way for Milwaukee. The Bucks worked their best last season when Giannis Antetokounmpo and Malcolm Brogdon shared primary ball-handling duties. Matthew Dellavedova can help bring the ball up and stretch the floor, even if it was clear last season he desperately misses playing with LeBron James.

Rose is a bad outside shooter who needs the ball in his hands to be at his most effective. A pairing with Antetokounmpo, an improving but still poor outside shooter, seems untenable at best.