The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to add former MVP Derrick Rose on a one-year deal. According to Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, the Cavaliers and Rose are currently discussing frameworks on a one-year deal but financial details of the contract were not immediately known. Rose will have to take a sizeable pay cut if he wants to join LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and company because the Cavaliers lack enough cap space to sign him to a huge deal.
Windhorst and Wojnarowski said the Cavs may offer Rose a minimum contract for $2.1 million, far from his $21.3 million salary with the New York Knicks last season.
Last season, Rose played 64 games for the Knicks, averaging 18.0 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. He ranked second among guards in scoring in the paint last season, averaging a career-best 10.1 points. If he joins the Cavaliers, he will run the backcourt together with Irving and will allow him to be close to his family in Chicago.
Lakers, Bulls also interested in Rose
According to Chris Haynes and Ramona Shelburne, the Los Angeles Lakers are also meeting with Rose. The Lakers are offering Rose more playing time and money and a better playing environment than the Knicks, according to sources. The Lakers also believe Rose can help in the development of rookie point guard Lonzo Ball.
Rose was spotted several times working out at the Lakers practice facility.
It was earlier reported that Rose wants to join a contender but Haynes clarified that playing for a contending squad is not a priority for Rose, who just “wants to play ball”. A report by CSN Chicago and Sam Amick of USA Today also raised the possibility of Rose returning to his former team, the Chicago Bulls.
Free-agent market not friendly for Rose
The 28-year-old Rose, the 1st overall pick by the Bulls in the 2008 Draft, has met with several teams over the past three weeks, including the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers but did not receive any offers. In 2011, Rose became the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP award at 22.
During that year, he averaged 25.0 points in 81 regular-season games.
However, injuries derailed his career in the next three years. Rose was limited to just 39 games in the 2011-12 season after signing a five-year extension worth $94.8 million. He missed all of the 2012-13 season and was limited to 10 games the following year. He played 51 and 66 games during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons before he was traded to the Knicks.
