At the end of the season, Arturas Karnisovas made it clear that he has no interest in rebuilding the Chicago Bulls again. Resetting the roster isn’t on his mind. And while the current core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic doesn’t scream “championship contender,” the Bulls seem determined to make it work.
If that’s the plan, Chicago has a lot of reshaping to do. They lost in the Play-In Tournament this past year, and there are some serious holes on their roster. Improving their forward and center positions will be crucial, but they also need some help at point guard, especially with Lonzo Ball sidelined. When discussing the New York Knicks’ offseason, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype brought up a familiar name as a potential Chicago target in free agency.
Derrick Rose has a $15.6 million team option this summer, which Scotto predicts the Knicks to decline. If that’s the case, the Bulls could make a solid landing spot for the veteran point guard.
“When I was in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine, some executives were wondering how much gas he still has in the tank?” Scotto said of Rose. “He’s got a huge number looking ahead towards next season, a team option for $15.6 million. That’s a lot of money for a guy who was seldomly used. You’d imagine the Knicks would decline that option. In my opinion, I think the Chicago Bulls make a ton of sense for Derrick Rose in free agency. It would be a nice homecoming for him towards the end of his career. We saw when he was back in town how beloved he is still by that fan base.”
The Bulls need some point guard depth, and they could definitely use a veteran to mentor Ayo Dosunmu and Coby white. Could a Rose return be in the cards?
