Derrick Rose Trade Rumors: Knicks Unlikely to Include Kevin Knox in Pistons Deal
If the New York Knicks move forward with a trade for Derrick Rose, they reportedly won't include Kevin Knox in the deal with the Detroit Pistons.
Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reported on Saturday that the Knicks and Pistons are "engaged in active talks" for Rose after the former NBA MVP and Detroit have mutually agreed to find a trade that would benefit both parties.
Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, Knox "probably" won't be traded for Rose even though he's not being used in head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation.
Knox was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft by the Knicks. He showed promise as a rookie, averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with a 34.3 three-point percentage.
Over the past two seasons, though, Knox has seen his playing time decrease as his game has struggled to evolve. The 21-year-old has been held out of New York's past four games, despite being healthy.
"I know we got a lot of great players on this team. The rotations can get tight," Knox told reporters on Wednesday about being dropped from the rotation. "Coach makes a lot of decisions. But he's the head coach ultimately, so whatever decision he makes I got to respect it."
A trade between the Pistons and Knicks involving Rose would reunite the three-time All-Star with Thibodeau. The duo spent five seasons together with the Chicago Bulls from 2010-15.
Thibodeau's first year with the Bulls coincided with Rose's MVP campaign in 2010-11.
Rose previously spent the 2016-17 season with the Knicks after being traded by Chicago in a five-player deal. He is averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 assists per game in 15 games off the bench for the Pistons this season.
