Derrick Rose Reunion Won't Solve Bulls' PG Issues Amid NBA Free-Agency Rumors

The New York Knicks will decline Derrick Rose's $15.6 million option, per Steve Popper of Newsday, meaning he is set to become a free agent, with a familiar team headlining the list of potential suitors.

The Chicago Bulls drafted the point guard in 2008, and he went on to experience his greatest success on an NBA court with them, and they are interested in a reunion with the player, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

It would be an emotional homecoming for Rose, but re-signing the 34-year-old would hardly solve the issues the Bulls face at the point guard position.

Lonzo Ball will miss the 2023-24 season with a knee injury that has plagued him for the better part of two years now. Three surgeries later and there is still no definitive answer on when, or if, he will return to action.

In his absence, the Bulls have had a multitude of players step into the position, with Coby White, Alex Caruso and Patrick Beverley all filling the void recently. None of them are the answer, though, and nor is a rotation at the position.

Unfortunately, that situation does not get any better by going out and re-signing Rose.

The three-time All-Star has not played more than 51 games in eight seasons and less than 30 in the last two. In 2022-23, he saw a decrease in every major category including points per game, which fell from 12 to 5.6.

As a player with his own lengthy history of injuries, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which Chicago would pay him significantly to be the point guard knowing it is unlikely to get a full season out of him and after his deterioration in form over the past two seasons.

Per Popper, Rose is beloved in the Knicks locker room for the leadership he brings to the team. That would be welcome in Chicago, and the fans would love to see their hometown hero back at the United Center.

However, that does not solve the larger problem: A hole in the roster that could be filled by saving the money that would be spent on Rose and throwing it at a free agent like Fred VanVleet or D'Angelo Russell, from whom the Bulls would get more minutes and points.

The crowd would welcome D-Rose back with open arms, and one of the NBA's most admired players would have the opportunity to wrap up his career in Chicago.

But the Bulls would be in the same position they were before signing him.