*Editor’s note: This is an updating story
Monday, July 24 (7:03 p.m. ET)
Free-agent point guard Derrick Rose has signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, as first reported by Shams Charania of the Vertical.
Rose met with the Cavs in Ohio earlier in the day to discuss the deal. This comes just a few days after he met with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
With Kyrie Irving’s sudden trade request, Rose will offer a lesser alternative should the 25-year-old All-Star point guard be dealt within the coming days.
Thursday, July 20
While the New York Knicks never really seemed keen on bringing Derrick Rose back, another possible free agent point guard option looks as though he is headed off the market.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported on Thursday that Rose and the defending Eastern Conference-champion Cleveland Cavaliers are in “serious talks” about a one-year deal.
Related: NBA trade rumors: Carmelo Anthony – Blazers heating up?
Rose averaged 18 points and 4.4 assists per game in his lone season with the Knicks. Regardless of those solid numbers, the unreliable Rose was not the answer to New York’s point guard woes. The team drafted 18-year-old Frenchman Frank Ntilikina as the future at the position, but the Knicks are still in need of a floor general that could step in and start right away.
Their only other options at the moment are Ron Baker and Chasson Randle, neither of whom have an overwhelming amount of NBA experience.
A move to Cleveland could be beneficial to both Rose and the Cavs, though. Teaming up with All-Star Kyrie Irving, Rose does not need to perform under the pressure of controlling an offense. Instead, he could be a complementary scoring option to LeBron James and Co.
After seeing the Cavaliers thoroughly outworked by the loaded Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in June, it’s easy to see just how important depth is to a winning formula. While Rose has battled injuries and off-court issues in the past, he is still an explosive player with an MVP under his belt and could bring an added dimension to the best team in the East.
