Knicks PG Derrick Rose Says Money Isn't His Top Priority in Free Agency

New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose made it clear the opportunity to win, not money, will be his main priority when he hits the open market as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

On Thursday, Steve Popper of USA Today passed along comments the 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player made about his future as his first, and potentially last, season in New York nears its conclusion.

"I'm not even thinking about the money," Rose said. "I've got enough money saved. If I was to stop playing basketball now, I'd be alright. I want to win and I want to be happy and feel at peace with myself wherever I'm at."

The 28-year-old three-time All-Star joined the Knicks last June as part of a roster overhaul the franchise hoped would push it back into playoff contention. The front office also added Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings, who's since been waived and signed with the Washington Wizards.

Those changes led a confident Rose to declare New York was a "super team" in the same category as the Golden State Warriors.

The Knicks haven't come anywhere close to reaching that level. They currently sport a 27-45 record and will soon be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. It will mark the fourth straight year without postseason basketball for the storied organization.

Rose hasn't played poorly. He's averaging 17.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds through 62 games. He's still nowhere close to the production from his peak seasons with the Chicago Bulls before his injury woes, however, and that's what New York would have needed to contend.

So the Chicago native is heading toward free agency with an uncertain mindset about what type of offers will be available, as he explained to USA Today:

"

(Money) is not (number one). But like I said, being at the negotiating table you never know. But I'm not going into negotiating with people and asking money as the number one thing I'm asking for. I want to win. … It's not up to me to decide (if I'm a max player). It's up to that team and the front office to decide that. My job is to go out there and try to produce. Once we go to the tables we'll negotiate after that.

"

That current outlook could get tested come summertime, though. Whether any teams prepared to contend for the championship would be willing to offer him a lucrative deal is very much up in the air, so he might be forced to take a lesser deal to join a top-tier team.

Meanwhile, Rose didn't rule out returning to the Knicks in the conversation with USA Today. But, if winning is truly the most important thing, he'll be playing elsewhere in the 2017-18 season.