The Knicks-Bulls 5 player trade
Former League MVP Derrick Rose has been shipped to New York to play for the Knicks along with guard Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick. In return, the Chicago Bulls will receive center Robin Lopez, and guards Jose Caulderon and Jerami Grant. In addition to the trade, the Knicks have waived guard Tony Wroten. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune was the first to report this trade:
After an hour of rumours of this trade on twitter, the New York Knicks’ twitter handle officially announced the trade:
While the Knicks celebrated the arrival of Rose, the Bulls’ thanked him for everything he led the team to in his 8 years with the franchise:
The New York Knicks have made a strong statement and become a front-runner for next season with this early pre-Draft trade. Their All-Star Carmelo Anthony’s game has always been at its peak when he has played alongside a top class point guard and for the Knicks front office to pull this off, brings a lot of positivity to the city of New York. The trade also makes good use of the Knicks’ huge cap space, allowing them to swallow Rose’s 21 million salary for the season.
Although they did lose their center Lopez in their trade, there is a silver lining to it. It leaves their starting center spot vacant, which allows them to try to make a run at free agent centers such as Al Horford, Dwight Howard or even Pau Gasol, if he opts out of contract with the Bulls.
Recently appointed New York Head Coach Jeff Hornaceck was part of the press conference where President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson announced the trade. This is what he had to say about acquiring Rose:
“This is an exciting day for New York and our fans. Derrick is one of the top point guards in the NBA who is playoff-battle-tested. He adds a whole new dynamic to our roster and immediately elevates our backcourt.”
On the flip side, the trade seem to clearly lay on the table, the intentions of the Bulls franchise. Trading Rose means the front office has put their faith in All-Star Jimmy Butler. However, it is unclear what they intend to do for their center spot. Their acquiring of Lopez from the Knicks poses question marks on what they have decided. Joakim Noah becomes an unrestricted a free agent, do they intend to let him walk? Are they keen and interested in convincing Pau Gasol to opt in on his player option for next season?
Lot of questions and no answers yet but one thing is certain, the Bulls are going through a rebuild around their shooting guard Butler.
The 3 team trade involving the Pacers, Hawks and Jazz
A trade reported much before Derrick Rose was moved, was one involving three teams- the Indiana Pacers, the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical was the first to report this trade in a series of tweets:
As the tweet suggests, 8-year veteran George Hill will now represent the Utah Jazz and is place with the Indiana Pacers is filled by Atlanta Hawks’ point guard Jeff Teague. In return for acquiring Hill, the Jazz send their 2016 draft pick (#12 overall) to the Hawks.
By the looks of it, all teams came away with positives from this deal. With Teague, the Pacers can expect more play making and scoring from their point guard position, which reduces a lot of the heavy offensive load All-Star Paul George was lifting on his shoulders. Dealing away their starting PG means the Hawks are ready to promote back-up Dennis Schroder, a move the German PG said he was ready for last year.
Ideally dealing away a lottery pick as high as #12 overall would be considered a crime but honestly the Jazz have ample young talent to play around with. Dealing the pick for a vet guard that can make a huge impact defensively on the floor and chemistry wise in what is a young locker room.
ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Hawks are looking to actively shop both their draft picks, 12th overall acquired from the Teague deal from Utah Jazz and their pick 21st overall.
