While explaining the Chicago Bulls’ decision to trade guard Derrick Rose, general manager Gar Forman told reporters on Wednesday that the team wanted to get younger and more athletic.

The Chicago Bulls traded guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks on Wednesday and Bulls general manager Gar Forman told reporters that the decision was made, in part, because of a desire for the team to get younger and more athletic.

“As we said at the end of last season, we are committed to exploring every option to improve this team,” Forman said. “This trade is a significant step in that process. Our goal is to get younger and more athletic, and this trade moves us in that direction and allows us to start changing the structure of our team. In Robin Lopez, we are acquiring a starting center who is a good defender, good rebounder and brings a toughness to our team. Jose Calderon is a proven veteran who can run an offense and knock down 3s. Jerian Grant was high on our draft board last year as someone with a great skill set and positional size. All three players are great teammates and have tremendous work ethic, and we are excited to welcome them to the Chicago Bulls organization.”

There is no doubt that the return that the Bulls received in return from the Knicks for Rose could be considered underwhelming. But, there are a few factors that likely led to the Bulls’ decision to pull the trigger on the trade with the Knicks.

The first factor, and most important, is that Rose was going to leave the Bulls via free agency next off-season. The return of Lopez, Grant, and Calderon is better than the return that the Bulls would have got for Rose next off-season–nothing.

The second factor is that Rose could not co-exist with Jimmy Butler. While Butler may not be the “franchise player” he claims to be, he certainly is the better player for the Bulls to rebuild around.

The third factor is, as Forman alluded too, the Bulls needed to retool. The Rose era was over when Tom Thibodeau was fired in May of 2015. Therefore, the Bulls needed to move on from the Rose era as quickly as possible and begin building towards their next contending team.

What do you think of the return that the Chicago Bulls got for Derrick Rose? Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts.