NBA Free Agents: Bulls have discussed Derrick Rose's fit originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Derrick Rose is set for unrestricted free agency, and the Chicago Bulls reportedly intend to address the point guard position this offseason.
Could a reunion be in the cards?
According to a slew of recent reports, it's possible. NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson wrote in a recent piece that the Bulls have had "internal conversations on the viability and fit" of Rose on the team. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski linked the two sides on Sunday during a live podcast with Zach Lowe, calling Rose a name to watch in Chicago.
While both noted that Rose wouldn't necessarily be a top target of the team, the idea is an interesting one. After being acquired from the Pistons, Rose was an integral piece of a surprising Knicks team last season, averaging 14.9 points in 35 regular-season appearances, then leading the team in scoring in the playoffs.
Exiting a contract that paid him $7.7 million in 2020-21, two questions come to mind for the resurgent 32-year-old: Could he be in for a raise? And what type of role best suits him? Before sliding into the starting lineup during the postseason, Rose functioned mostly as a sixth man for the Knicks — in fact, he finished as a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year voting. Would he fill a similar niche for the Bulls, or, with Coby White recovering from shoulder surgery and Tomáš Satoranský's future with the team unclear, come in as a full-time starter?
But those can be left for a later day, when more clarity on the Bulls' plans exists.
What's certain is Rose is still capable of providing positive impact on the court. Having been drafted No. 1 overall by his hometown team, become the youngest MVP in league history with the Bulls, and led the franchise's best run of success since the dynasty, he would bring some sentimentality too.
With the free-agent negotiation window opening Aug. 2, tea leaves will become concrete soon.
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