The Detroit Pistons sent veteran guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and a future second round pick on Sunday. Moving Rose is not a surprise, although it seems like a sign that the Pistons are shifting their attention to playing with their young players further into the final part of the season. We take a closer look at Rose’s business and what it means:
1. Derrick Rose is going to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith, Jr. and Charlotte Hornets‘choice of runoff in 2021. How do you feel about the return of the Pistons?
Sean Corp: I don’t see much value in Dennis Smith, Jr. at all. It is a recovery project just as Jahlil Okafor is – technically young, but I think we will quickly see that the talent is simply not there. This makes it a four-month rental for a player with no future on the team. The choice, however, is disappointing only to the extent that I expected Detroit to receive its own much better choice in return. There is a chance, however, that Charlotte will suffer a drop in qualifying. They have some decent players, but they can’t stand any injuries. Also, I hope Dallas, Toronto and Miami will outperform them at some point this season, with the Knicks and Magic having a decent chance of doing so as well. I never expected anything more than a good second round choice for Rose, and that seems to be exactly what Detroit got in return.
Brady Fredericksen: It’s ok. I’m very against not being able something for a negotiable asset, so holding on to Rose and not trading or buying her would have been much worse. I think they should have negotiated with him last year, but this is for Ed Stefanski, not Troy Weaver. The choice of the second round is good. It would have been better to have the Pistons back, but the Hornets are probably the 9th worst team in the NBA – a very familiar place for Detroit. I’m excited to see Dennis Smith Jr. Strange, I know. He’s probably bad, but I like the talent. If it doesn’t work, that’s fine. If he does, you may have a backup for next year. I think there are more tools in your bag than another name supposedly in this business, Frank Ntilikina.
David Fernandez: The return is exactly what I expected. Derrick Rose’s efficiency dropped this year, as did his production, so I didn’t expect a choice in the first round, and I wasn’t even sure he would be able to score the first one last year, when he was playing much better. Detroit gets the choice of the second round and a cup of coffee with DSJ, which is the lowest risk and highest reward possible.
Ben Gulker: That seems fair for this year’s version of Rose. A season ago, a choice from the first round may have seemed more appropriate – he was playing incredible basketball, and the trading partner would have received 1.5 game season from Rose. But this year’s version of Rose is not shooting as well and he only has the rest of the season in his contract. The silver lining is that the Pistons playmaker game will remain awful, protecting the tank!
Matthew Way: It is pretty much what I expected. They are getting a return similar to what they got for Reggie Bullock for a player who has less value for the team he is going to. It is difficult to see a team willing to give up much more for this version of Rose.
ScottFL: Rose is old and not particularly good; getting anything to him looks like a victory. Anyone who has been disappointed with the return is simply delusional.
Ryan Pravato: I’m happy to get something for him. It’s a low-cost lottery ticket in Smith Jr. And … then pretty much another lottery ticket in the second round. It was safe and smart to change Rose before an injury got in the way of that plan.
Justin Lambregetse: I’m fine with the return. Despite some outrage from some Twitter fans, I really don’t think they could have achieved much more for him. A flyer on a player like DSJ and a 2nd round choice is a solid return for a guy who is dying and has a tendency to get hurt / err in random games.
enbiejowiec: I am disappointed, but I understand in terms of calculating cold assets. I say ‘quite a lot’ because this is more of a Trojan deal in which the return is not what I would like to see. On the other hand, it will finally free up some play time for young people, and that is always a nice feature.
2. Rose spent little time in Detroit, but she seemed to be a universally appreciated player during a relatively unpleasant period for Pistons basketball. What do you think of the (brief) era Derrick Rose in Detroit?
Sean Corp: I liked Derrick Rose much more when he was the offensive engine of a bank unit in a team that was looking to win games and reach the playoffs. Since things changed to a reconstruction mode, his basketball brand was obviously not compatible with that mission. In short, it doesn’t really make any players around you better. That wasn’t necessarily his job or why he was brought to Detroit, so I don’t blame him for that. But I won’t be sad to see you go.
Brady Fredericksen: It was more fun than expected. I wish it hadn’t all come crashing down on the Pistons last year. If you had added Derrick Rose to the playoffs team two years ago, they were probably the fifth seed fighting in the first round, instead of an 8th seed being eliminated from the playoffs again. He is one of my biggest names ever to play for the Pistons alongside Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Chris Webber and Antonio McDyess.
David Fernandez: I thought Derrick Rose was a consummate professional while in Detroit. He always seemed to have a positive attitude, even when losses accumulated, and I believe he took his modeling responsibilities seriously.
Ben Gulker: Mostly as forgettable as those two seasons will be, in all honesty. I’m happy that he ended his career in a better team than this one.
Matthew Way: Rose was much better than I expected last year and he fit into the team when he was looking for the playoffs. With the direction they are taking this year, it has been difficult to observe because it is not engaging young people to the extent that you would like.
ScottFL: Tank onwards!
Ryan Pravato: Glad it’s over. It still has value for sure, just go compete for a playoff team. Good luck in New York?
Justin Lambregetse: I liked it more than I thought. I was never a big fan of Derrick Rose, mainly because he starred with the Bulls early in his career. I also thought he was well washed after leaving New York for the first time. He’s not the same player, but he was better than I thought. He’s still a defective player, but I can’t complain much about the production that the Pistons got from the contract he signed.
enbiejowiec: It was good, but it would have been much better if he had come here to put together a set team to become a candidate. Without that premise, it was a bad combination, although we have to admit that he tried to make the best of it. And if sometimes he tried too hard … well, it’s not that it cost us some championships. At the very least, it only increased our chances at recruiting. So, in short: Thanks Derrick! I’m glad we can all be happy that you move on to the next chapter.
3. The negotiation deadline is at the end of March. What moves, if any, do you think Troy Weaver has up his sleeve by then?
Sean Corp: Troy Weaver prides himself on his aggressive nature, and although I thought I understood what that meant, we actually saw it in his first free agency when he shipped almost everything – including good young players like Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown. So, I would put nothing but him in this off-season, including unloading the last two pieces from before his tenure at Svi Mykhailiuk and Sekou Doumbouya. Svi is young and talented and is about to get a little more expensive, so he’s in that Brown and Kennard mold of parts that may just have no future in Detroit, and you have to change them now or never. Doumbouya, I hope he doesn’t give up because he is still very young and, at least for me, a really intriguing young prospect. I think Weaver would love to get rid of Blake, but I don’t see any business on the horizon. The more likely result is that Blake will stay, the less likely it is to be negotiated and the middle option, which is still quite unlikely, is that they will reach an agreement on the purchase.
Brady Fredericksen: There is no way for them to cling to Wayne Ellington. He’s a high-level marksman and teams like Philadelphia NEED it. I would offer Wayne for Philly’s second round via New York tomorrow. Svi is difficult. I think he is a player I want to keep, but he is a pending restricted free agent. There was a time when you feared that a team would come up with a big offer for it, but if it hits 32% out of 3, it may not happen. Blake is not going anywhere, anyone who says something different is beside himself.
David Fernandez: There will be a lot of teams calling about Wayne Ellington, so I assume Detroit will be able to find him a new home here soon. But that said, if he stayed in Detroit, it wouldn’t be the worst case scenario, especially if they are just getting second-round pick offers. His three-point shot provides a ton of value, even for a team under reconstruction.
Ben Gulker: Ellington, Svi, Jackson and Wright could boost the right second playoff unit, although Wright can be a little expensive. And listen to me … did Stewart’s appearance make Plumlee expendable? Undoubtedly, Plumlee was the second best player at the Pistons this season, and his contract is reasonable. I would be buying it for him.
Matthew Way: I see Wayne Ellington being moved into a similar arrangement. Your shot can obviously provide value for a contender and moving it will free up additional minutes for Svi and Saddiq. You would expect Troy Weaver to prioritize this, especially with a decision about Svi imminent this summer.
ScottFL: I’ve been thinking mainly in terms of Delon + Svi = ?????, simply because Delon would be theoretically useful for a good team and because those same good teams always need more shots, combined with the fact that he doesn’t know if Weaver wants to commit to Svi in the long run as he manages to restrict the free agency in the next off-season.
Ryan Pravato: Hopefully, Weaver can negotiate with the State of Oklahoma – because Cade Cunningham is the guy.
Justin Lambregetse: I can see him moving Wayne Ellington to a runoff choice. I don’t think he can achieve anything drastic like moving Blake Griffin or a young player. I just don’t see a ton of assets that the team can move without changing a young player, which they want to keep to build.
enbiejowiec: After Rose’s exchange, there is another obvious candidate to be negotiated – Wayne Ellington. They could probably get something good for Mason Plumlee and, perhaps, Delon Wright. But it may be too early to market them from the perspective of building the culture and education of children. they can also move Jahlil Okafor and Rodney McGruder, but is anyone going to bite? I don’t think they’re going to trade Blake. I prefer to see all other players being developed than switched.
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As always, give us your opinion in the comments!
1. Derrick Rose is reportedly going to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith Jr. and Charlotte Hornets’ second round pick in 2021. How do you feel about the Pistons returning?
2. Rose spent little time in Detroit, but she seemed to be a universally appreciated player during a relatively unpleasant period for Pistons basketball. What do you think of the (brief) era Derrick Rose in Detroit?
3. The negotiation deadline is at the end of March. What moves, if any, do you think Troy Weaver has up his sleeve by then?