Bulls Get: Robin Lopez C, Jerian Grant PG, Jose Calderon PG

Knicks Get: Derrick Rose PG, Justin Holiday G, 2017 2nd round pick (CHI)

Bulls

The long, turbulent tenure of Derrick Rose has finally come to an end. Five years ago, the Bulls’ visions of Rose certainly did not conclude in a trade for an average center.

Back in 2011, the future could not have looked brighter for the electrifying guard from Chicago. Rose had just become the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP award at 22-years old. His offense powered the defense centric Bulls to a 62-20 record, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals against LeBron James’ Heat in the 2010-11 season. Everything was trending up.

How quickly things can change in the NBA. In the 2011-12 season, Rose was constantly bit by the injury bug. He missed a total of 27 of 66 games in the strike shortened season with a variety of injuries (left toe, lower back, groin). It all could have been perceived as a string of bad luck, if not for one fateful day in April. In Game 1 of their first round playoff series, Rose suffered an ACL tear in his left knee that changed the trajectory of his career. The injury caused him to miss the remainder of the playoffs and the entirety of the 2012-13 season. From 2011 to 2015, Derrick Rose played in only 100 of 312 possible games, missing 212 due to injury. A major detour for what had once been a surefire Hall of Fame career.

During his absence the unanticipated rise of Jimmy Butler occurred. His rise from perimeter defender to workhorse star gave Bulls fans a new hero to rally around.

With Rose’s relative health this past season, there was perceived notion of a petulant power struggle, in which Butler attempted to take the reins by force. John Paxson even had some choice words for Butler’s self-proclaimed style. Nevertheless, it’s clear Bulls’ management has chosen their man.

From this perspective, the deal makes sense for Chicago. Derrick Rose is in the final year of his contract, and the Bulls clearly weren’t going to renew next offseason. Now is time to deal the injury maligned guard.

With the 31-year old Joakim Noah and soon-to-be 36-year old Pau Gasol hitting free agency, the Bulls had a need at center. At 28 years old, Robin Lopez aligns more with the 26-year old Jimmy Butler than either of the incumbents. And with the sudden rise in NBA salary cap to $94 million, the remaining 3-years and $41 million on Lopez’s contract look like a relative bargain. In addition, the Bulls get Rose’s potential replacement in second year guard Jerian Grant.

Given the fact the Bulls weren’t going to resign Rose, and his injury history limits value, they did well to obtain an affordable starting center and young guard. The roster reshaping is being done with a focus on getting younger, and gives the team a clear direction of building around Jimmy Butler.

Grade: A-

Knicks

Just when you thought the Knicks were trending toward stability and roster building, they make a familiar splash for the big name.

But this time is a bit different from recent past. Gone are the pick-laden packages to land over the hill, fading stars. This is a calculated gamble for Phil Jackson, and the Knicks’ front office.

The move is a clear departure from the team structure last year. Despite missing the playoffs, the Knicks had the best rim protection in the NBA, according to NBA.com. The improvement in the paint was driven by rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis and free agent Robin Lopez. Lopez himself proved to be the more productive of the two, ranking 8th among players with at least 300 shots defended around the rim.

However, the Knicks were the weakest at the NBA’s strongest position – point guard. The Knicks were outmatched on a nightly basis, trotting out 34-year old Jose Calderon to defend athletically superior guards. The first line of defense was often broken down, forcing them to constantly play catch-up on rotations.

The discrepancy was felt on the offensive end as well. The Knicks ranked second to last in transition points, and dead last in efficiency on the break. In half court sets, their lack of dribble penetration often left the offense in stagnation, dependent on the isolation plays to score. They ranked third in the NBA in isolation points per possession.

The addition of Rose doesn’t solve these issues, but will help in the near term – if he can stay healthy. As documented above, his injury history is vast. It includes an ACL tear in his left knee, two meniscus tears in his right knee, among several, seemingly random injuries. Most recent was an orbital fracture last September which Rose admitted affected his vision.

The most important asset the Knicks gain from this trade is flexibility. Phil Jackson now has multiple avenues to build this team.

Perhaps they trust Rose’s health enough to try and compete this year. The Knicks have the option of moving Porzingis to center, or pursuing one in free agency. It is the deepest position in this year’s class, featuring names like Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside, Al Horford, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Adding one of those players to a healthy Rose would almost certainly make the Knicks a playoff team.

Conversely, the Knicks may have their eye on the 2017 free agent class. By swapping out the contracts of Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez for the expiring of Derrick Rose, the Knicks can now have as much as $71 million in cap space next offseason, with a projected cap of $111 million. That is enough to land two maximum free agents, in addition to Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Next year’s class is guard heavy, featuring Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Lowry, Danilo Gallinari, Jrue Holiday.

Whichever path Phil Jackson chooses to travel, it’s filled with risk. What his plans are, and if he’s able to execute them, will determine the true outcome of this trade for the Knicks.

Given the uncertainty, the only way to judge this trade for now is in a vacuum. By trading in two assets, at reasonable salaries, for one year of injury-prone Derrick Rose, the Knicks lost the value proposition.

One thing is for certain, July 1st just became a very important date for this franchise.

Grade: B-