Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is about to train point guard Derrick Rose for the third time.
The Knicks and Pistons are approaching a deal that would send Dennis Smith Jr. and a draft pick to the Pistons for Rose, as reported by The Athletic and confirmed by The Post.
A source said the Knicks and Pistons are still talking about the trade. Knicks President Leon Rose was not in his usual spot on the court in the middle of the court for Sunday’s game against the Heat.
Sources told The Post on Saturday that they would not include a first-round choice in any deal with Rose. The draft choice is probably one of your second round choices.
Thibodeau trained Rose in Chicago and Minnesota and is now about to get him back. The situation of the owner of the Knicks was dealt with by holder Elfrid Payton and reserve Immanuel Quickley. It is unclear how rotation can work, but the Austin Rivers backup has struggled and can be removed for Rose.
According to a source, the Knicks, one of the NBA’s worst attacks statistically, still feel they need more firepower, especially at the end of games to have more options. Thibodeau will probably not start Rose, but he can close with him if the deal goes through.
The Pistons are rebuilding and trying to play with their younger players. Rose is 32 years old and won the league MVP under Thibodeau in Chicago. The Post reported that Saturday Rose’s preference was to be negotiated with the Knicks. He has averaged 14.2 points and 4.2 assists in 15 games this season.
Before Sunday’s game against Miami, Thibodeau was asked about his reputation for not wanting to play with young players, and he invoked the name of Rose.
“I think that just looking at the guys and studying who was on each team – Derrick Rose is the youngest MVP in the league’s history,” said Thibodeau. “So I don’t care about these things.”
Thibodeau found another way to invoke Rose’s name at his press conference before the game, when asked if he regretted never making it to the NBA finals with another ex-Bull, Jimmy Butler.
“I thought with all my teams in Chicago they gave everything they had,” said Thibodeau. “I thought we had a good chance of winning if Derrick had been healthy all that time. But he was not. “
One of the key pieces of Kristaps Porzingis ‘trade for two years, Smith is no longer part of the Knicks’ plans, and last week New York put him in the G League bubble to take action and ostensibly increase his commercial value. Smith has appeared in just three games this season, after the Knicks spent the off-season trying to trade him.