With all the Kyrie Irving drama in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization, it looks like the team has made a move to start the trade process to get rid of their disgruntled young superstar. The Cavaliers reached a deal to bring in former NBA MVP Derrick Rose on a one-year, $2.1 million contract. The small size of the deal makes it appear that this is a "try-out" and it also protects Rose in case LeBron James decides to pack up and leave after the 2017-18 NBA season.
Derrick Rose chooses Cleveland
There were two teams that Derrick Rose was talking to when he left the New York Knicks.
Those teams were the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. When it came to the Lakers, it appeared that Rose would get more playing time as he would play mentor to young rookie Lonzo Ball. However, things changed drastically in the NBA since those meetings.
When Kyrie Irving announced that he wanted the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade him because he was tired of playing in the shadow of LeBron James, that opened up an interesting opportunity with the Cavs. If Cleveland trades Irving, which it looks like they plan to do, that opens up the point guard position and Derrick Rose can step right in as a starter once again.
While Kyrie Irving is a better player, especially when looking into the future than the injury-prone Derrick Rose, this is a one-year deal and could give Rose a chance to finally compete for his first NBA title since LeBron James makes the team a contender all by himself.
This is just a one-year deal
The important thing to understand is that this is just a one-year deal. If the Cleveland Cavaliers trade Kyrie Irving, and they likely will, it will damage the future in Cleveland. If LeBron James chooses to opt out of his contract next summer, and he has already said he won't allow the Cavs to trade him, Cleveland will lose him with nothing to show for it.
Derrick Rose is on a one-year deal and if he wins an NBA title - or at least makes it to the NBA Finals, it could help him get a big deal next year as a free agent. However, it also will cripple the Cleveland Cavaliers, who might be playing for just one more NBA title before LeBron James bolts down again.
The problem with the Cleveland Cavaliers is that they chased general manager David Griffin out of town and that made both Kyrie Irving disgruntled and LeBron James dissatisfied with the franchise. Whatever happens, Derrick Rose will help them remain competitive but it might just be for one more season.
