If the New York Knicks had their way, Derrick Rose would be playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Alas, Timberwolves coach-president Tom Thibodeau “balked” at giving up Ricky Rubio in exchange for his former point guard, per ESPN.com’s Marc Stein:
At the finish line, league sources say, New York was prepared to trade Derrick Rose for Ricky Rubio straight up. But the Wolves balked.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 23, 2017
Here’s more from ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:
For much of Thursday afternoon, the Knicks and Timberwolves were locked in a staring contest in their talks on a potential Derrick Rose deal.
Phil Jackson and the Knicks were looking for a second asset in a potential Rose-for-Ricky Rubio swap, per sources. The Timberwolves were unwilling to give up that second asset, whether it was a draft pick or a player. They made that stance clear as late as a half-hour before the deadline. It became a matter of who would blink first.
Shortly before the deadline, sources say members of the Knicks organization lowered their demands of that second asset. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Knicks eventually offered the Wolves a Rubio-for-Rose trade, straight up.
Sources say that deal was offered minutes before the deadline. According to Stein, Minnesota balked at the deal.
It’s almost like Thibs realized Derrick Rose isn’t a good basketball player or something.
Sure, the Timberwolves could have justified this from a cap space standpoint. Rose is in the last year of his contract, while Rubio has two years after this one left on his. With Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine extension-eligible this summer, and Karl-Anthony Towns right behind them in 2018, Minnesota could have used the extra breathing room that came with washing Rubio’s $14(ish) million per year salary off the books—infinitely so when you consider Gorgui Dieng’s new deal kicks in next season, too.
But Rose is one of the league’s least valuable players. He is a ridiculously terrible defender, he doesn’t create for his teammates nearly enough, and his best skill, which is driving, doesn’t stand out in an exceptional way. The Timberwolves were smart to avoid a scenario in which they acquire Rose and then maybe, quite possibly, consider re-signing him.
The Knicks, for the record, aren’t huge losers here. They failed to make upgrades or acquire draft picks elsewhere, but they don’t have to be stuck with Rose much longer—provided they resist whatever temptation there might be to re-sign him.
