Six years after trying to form the same super team that landed in Miami, the Bulls signed Dwyane Wade in July 2016 amid much skepticism in a last-gasp attempt at relevancy that faded when Rajon Rondo fractured his thumb in the 2017 playoffs.

Five years after attempting to sign Carmelo Anthony as the missing piece to break through a still-open championship window, the Bulls acquired the 10-time All-Star on Tuesday in a financial deal that ultimately will lead to Anthony playing elsewhere.

This summer will mark three years since the Bulls stunned Derrick Rose by trading him to the Knicks. Rose, enjoying a renaissance season with the Timberwolves that places him in contention for the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player awards, will be an unrestricted free agent.

It’s time to bring Rose home.

This isn’t a hot take. It’s a move that makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels.

Whether or not the Bulls are sold on Kris Dunn as the starting point guard moving forward — and there’s indecision on that — is immaterial. Rose has proved this season he can contribute whether he starts or comes off the bench. Heck, the former most valuable player is even hitting game-winning shots again.

Rose is drawing credit for helping everyone from Jimmy Butler to Karl-Anthony Towns as a mentor and confidant, as a paragon of perseverance.

The Bulls want to add veterans this summer who can help on and off the court. Who better than Rose?

He’s not a vocal leader, but anyone consistently around Rose these days notices how at peace he is with all of the injuries he has overcome. He’s more comfortable expressing his opinion and sharing his struggles.

And with his highest scoring average since 2011-12 at 19.3 points per game and career-high 43.1 percent 3-point shooting, he can still hoop. His 50-point game on Oct. 31, which drew widespread admiration throughout the league, is more proof.

Of course, with roughly $40 million of projected salary-cap space, the Bulls should do their due diligence on elite free agents such as Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard. They also should pursue more obtainable targets such as Tobias Harris or Khris Middleton.

Would the leftover cap space after signing, say, Harris or Middleton — or the midlevel exception if they use all of their cap space — be enough to bring back Rose? There will be competition for his services, most notably in Minnesota. Rose is a loyal person, and he’ll likely feel indebted, not to mention comfortable, to re-sign with the Timberwolves.

However, coach Tom Thibodeau, Rose’s main supporter and reason he’s in Minnesota, is gone. That isn’t to suggest Rose doesn’t work well with and respect Ryan Saunders, who will have every chance to keep the Timberwolves job past this season.

But Rose, whose intentions in free agency aren’t known but who is said to have an open mind about the Bulls, never wanted to leave Chicago. Even at his lowest moments, even as he became more insular while a segment of the fan base turned on him, Rose always wanted to win a championship for his hometown.

Nazr Mohammed, a fellow Chicagoan and former Bulls teammate of Rose, once told me: “From day one since I got here, even when he was hurt, he talked all the time about what winning a championship for Chicago would mean. He talks about how it would feel, being a guy from Chicago, to raise another banner here. People should know this. He wouldn’t talk to (reporters) the same way, but trust me: That’s his main goal and desire and what drives him. He’s a Chicago guy through and through.”

This has been reported before, but the Bulls’ decision to trade him in 2016 badly stung Rose. He was caught off guard and was emotional.

But Rose sat along the United Center baseline with his son as fans during the Bulls-Celtics first-round playoff series in April 2017. He drew a loud ovation when shown on the video board. And he got a hug from Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf as he left the building.

Probably my favorite Stacey King call on a derrick rose dunk. Did you not get the memo! Derrick Rose can go upstairs! I wanna go higher! Probably my favorite Stacey King call on a derrick rose dunk. Did you not get the memo! Derrick Rose can go upstairs! I wanna go higher!

Tuesday marked the nine-year anniversary of Rose’s memorable dunk over then-Suns guard Goran Dragic. Four knee surgeries later, Rose doesn’t always jump so high or produce such spectacular highlights.

Rose does produce steady play. And for a Bulls team that will be entering its third season of a full rebuild, that should be welcomed.

It’s time to bring Rose home.

P.S. Taj Gibson will be available as well.

kcjohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop

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