DBB on 3: Derrick Rose traded, more moves on the horizon?

The Detroit Pistons sent veteran guard Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks in exchange for Dennis Smith, Jr. and a future second round pick on Sunday. Moving Rose isn’t a surprise, thought it does appear to signal that the Pistons are shifting their attention to rolling with their young players more over the final portion of the season. We looked a little deeper into the Rose deal and what it means:

1. Derrick Rose is heading to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith, Jr. and the Charlotte Hornets’ second round pick in 2021. How do you feel about the return for the Pistons?

Sean Corp: I don’t see much value in Dennis Smith, Jr. at all. He’s a reclamation project in the same way that Jahlil Okafor is — technically young but I think we’ll quickly see the talent just isn’t there. That makes this a four-month rental of a player without a future on the team. The pick, meanwhile, is disappointing only insomuch as I was hoping Detroit would get its own much better pick back in return. There is a chance, however, that Charlotte takes a tumble in the standings. They have a few decent players but can’t withstand any injuries. Also, I would expect Dallas, Toronto and Miami to jump them in the standings at some point this season, with the Knicks and Magic having a decent shot to do so as well. I never expected anything more than a good second-round pick for Rose, and that seems to be exactly what Detroit got in return.

Brady Fredericksen: It’s fine. I’m very against not getting something for a tradeable asset, so, hanging onto Rose and not trading him or buying him out would have been far worse. I think they should have traded him LAST year, but that’s on Ed Stefanski, not Troy Weaver. The second round pick is nice. It would have been better to get the Pistons’ pick back, but the Hornets are probably the 9th worst team in the NBA — a very familiar spot for Detroit. I’m excited to see Dennis Smith, Jr. Weird, I know. He’s probably bad, but I like the talent. If he doesn’t work, it’s no problem. If he does, maybe you have a backup for next year. I think there are more tools in his bag than another rumored name in this trade, Frank Ntilikina.

David Fernandez: The return is exactly what I expected. Derrick Rose’s efficiency dipped this year, as did his production, so I wasn’t expecting a first round pick, and wasn’t even sure that he would be able to net a first last year when he was playing much better. Detroit gets the second round pick, and a cup of coffee with DSJ, which is as low-risk, high-reward as possible.

Ben Gulker: This seems fair for this year’s version of Rose. A season ago, a first round pick may have felt more appropriate — he was playing incredible basketball, and the trading partner would have received 1.5 seasons of Rose’s play. But, this year’s version of Rose isn’t shooting the ball nearly as well, and he only has the rest of this season on his contract. The silver lining is the Pistons’ point guard play will remain awful, securing the tank!

Matthew Way: It’s pretty much what I expected. They’re getting a similar return to what they got for Reggie Bullock for a player who has less value to the team he’s going to. It’s tough seeing a team willing to give up much more for this version of Rose.

ScottFL: Rose is old, and not particularly good; getting anything at all for him seems like a win. Anybody who was disappointed with the return is just delusional.

Ryan Pravato: Glad to get something for him. It’s a low cost lottery ticket in Smith Jr. And... then pretty much another lottery ticket in the 2nd rounder. It was safe and smart to trade Rose before an injury derailed that plan.

Justin Lambregetse: I’m fine with the return. Despite some outrage from some fans on Twitter, I really don’t think they could have gotten much more for him. A flyer on a player like DSJ and a 2nd round pick is solid return for a guy who is expiring and has a tendency to get hurt/miss random games.

enbiejowiec: I feel disappointed, but I understand it in terms of cold assets calculation. I say ‘rather’ because this is yet another Troy trade in which the return is not what I’d like to see. On the other hand it’ll finally free some playing time for youngsters, and that’s always a pleasing asset.

2. Rose only spent a short time in Detroit, but seemed to be a universally liked player during a relatively unlikable time for Pistons basketball. What are your thoughts on the (brief) Derrick Rose era in Detroit?

Sean Corp: I liked Derrick Rose much more when he was the offensive engine of a bench unit on a team looking to win games and make the playoffs. Once things shifted into a rebuild mode, his brand of basketball was glaringly obviously not compatible with that mission. In short, he doesn’t really make any players around him better. That wasn’t necessarily his job or why he was brought to Detroit, so I don’t blame him for that. But I won’t be sad to see him go.

Brady Fredericksen: It was more fun than anticipated. I wish everything hadn’t fallen apart on the Pistons last year. If you had added Derrick Rose to that playoff team two years ago, they were probably a 5th seed battling in the first round rather than an 8th seed getting swept out of the playoffs yet again. He’s a member of my all-time, past-their-prime-big-names to play for the Pistons alongside Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Chris Webber, and Antonio McDyess.

David Fernandez: I thought Derrick Rose was a consummate professional while he was in Detroit. He always seemed to have a positive attitude even when the losses piled up, and I believe he took his role-model responsibilities seriously.

Ben Gulker: Mostly as forgettable as these two seasons will be, in all honesty. I’m glad he will finish his career on a better team than this one.

Matthew Way: Rose was much better than I ever expected last year, and he fit the team when it was seeking the playoffs. With the direction they’re going this year, he’s been tough to watch because he’s not getting the young guys involved to the extent that you’d like.

ScottFL: Tank onward!

Ryan Pravato: Glad it’s over. He still has value for sure, just go compete for a playoff team. Good luck in New York?

Justin Lambregetse: I enjoyed it more than I thought. I have never been a huge fan of Derrick Rose, mainly because of him starring with the Bulls early in his career. I also thought he was pretty washed after leaving New York the first time. He’s not the same player, but he was better than I thought. He is still a flawed player, but I can’t complain too much for the production the Pistons got for the contract he was signed.

enbiejowiec: It was nice, but it’d be much nicer if he’d come here to round up a squad set to become a contender. Without that premise, it was a bad match, though we need to admit that he tried make the best of it. And if he sometimes tried too much… well, it’s not that it costed us some championships. If anything, it only increased our chances in the draft. So all in all: Thanks Derrick! I’m glad we can all be happy that you’re on to the next chapter.

3. The trade deadline is at the end of March. What moves, if any, do you think Troy Weaver has up his sleeve between now and then?

Sean Corp: Troy Weaver prides himself on his aggressive nature, and while I thought I understood what that meant, we really saw it in his first free agency when he shipped out almost everything — including good young players in Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown. So I wouldn’t put anything past him this offseason including unloading the last couple pieces from before his tenure in Svi Mykhailiuk and Sekou Doumbouya. Svi is young and talented and about to get a bit more expensive, so he’s in that Brown and Kennard mold of pieces that might simply not have a future in Detroit, and you gotta cash them in now or never. Doumbouya, I’m hoping he doesn’t give up on because he’s still so young and, at least to me, a really intriguing young prospect. I think Weaver would love to unload Blake, but I don’t see any deals on the horizon. The most likely outcome is Blake stays, the least likely is he is traded and the middle-option that is still pretty unlikely is they reach an agreement on a buyout.

Brady Fredericksen: There’s no way they can hang onto Wayne Ellington. He’s a high-level shooter and teams like Philadelphia NEED that. I’d offer Wayne for Philly’s second rounder via New York tomorrow. Svi is a tough one. I think he’s a player I want to hang onto, but he’s a pending restricted free agent. There was a time when you feared a team swooping in with a big offer sheet for him, but if he ends up shooting 32% from 3, that might not happen. Blake isn’t going anywhere, anybody who tells you different is out of their mind.

David Fernandez: There’s going to be a lot of teams calling about Wayne Ellington, so I’d assume Detroit will be able to find him a new home here soon. But with that being said, if he stayed in Detroit, that wouldn’t be the worst case scenario, especially if they’re only getting second round pick offers. His three point shooting provides a ton of value, even to a rebuilding team.

Ben Gulker: Ellington, Svi, Jackson, and Wright could boost the right playoff second unit, though Wright may be a little pricey. And hear me out... has the emergence of Stewart made Plumlee expendable? Arguably, Plumlee has been the Pistons’ second-best player this season, and his contract is reasonable. I’d be shopping him.

Matthew Way: I see Wayne Ellington getting moved in a similar deal. His shooting can obviously provide value to a contender and moving him will free up additional minutes for Svi and Saddiq. You’d hope Troy Weaver would prioritize that, especially with a decision on Svi looming this summer.

ScottFL: I have mostly been thinking in terms of Delon + Svi = ?????, simply because Delon would theoretically be useful for a good team, and because those same good teams always need more shooting, combined with the fact that we don’t know if Weaver wants to commit to Svi long-term as he gets to restricted free agency this coming offseason.

Ryan Pravato: Hopefully Weaver can pull off a trade with Oklahoma State — because Cade Cunningham is the man.

Justin Lambregetse: I can see him moving Wayne Ellington for like a 2nd round pick. I don’t think he pulls off anything drastic like moving Blake Griffin or a young player. I just don’t see a ton of assets the team can move without trading a young player, which they want to keep to build around.

enbiejowiec: After the Rose trade, there is one other obvious candidate to be traded – Wayne Ellington. They probably could get something good for Mason Plumlee and, maybe, Delon Wright. But it might be too early to trade them from the culture building and raising the kids perspective. they also might move Jahlil Okafor and Rodney McGruder, but will someone bite? I guess they won’t trade Blake. All other players I’d rather see being developed than traded.

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As always, give us your thoughts in the comments!

1. Derrick Rose is reportedly heading to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith, Jr. and the Charlotte Hornets’ second round pick in 2021. How do you feel about the return for the Pistons?

2. Rose only spent a short time in Detroit, but seemed to be a universally liked player during a relatively unlikable time for Pistons basketball. What are your thoughts on the (brief) Derrick Rose era in Detroit?

3. The trade deadline is at the end of March. What moves, if any, do you think Troy Weaver has up his sleeve between now and then?