The Chicago Bulls have traded ex-MVP Derrick Rose and G Justin Holiday to the New York Knicks for C Robin Lopez, G Jose Calderon, and G Jerian Grant.
Derrick Rose has been sent to New York where he will be joining superstar Carmelo Anthony and potential superstar Kristaps Porzingis to give Knicks fans their first reason to be optimistic since trading for Melo a few years back.
Ever since the trade, Melo has been married to the Knicks and New York but hasn’t been able to produce much of anything in the form of playoff wins. Phil Jackson was hired as the president of the organization and has done nothing positive but draft the 7’3″ sensation that is Kristaps Porzingis.
I bring this all up to say that Jackson, Melo, and the Knicks are going for it and are trying to improve into a contender as soon as next season. Sharing the same division, the Boston Celtics will need to make a move if they are going to keep up with New York.
Rose will be a tremendous improvement at the point guard spot for the Knicks if he can remain healthy. Jose Calderon has been the mainstay at point guard over the last few seasons, and while he has been known to be an above average passer, he obviously wasn’t the fit that was best for Carmelo and company.
Rose will force the opposition to be more honest on the defensive end and provide more on help side, which should open up the floor for Melo to work and create for others.
The Knicks, who are still looking to improve through free agency and Thursday’s draft, should be much improved on both ends of the floor with the addition of Rose.
Another way this move impacts the Celtics is that the rumors of a Jimmy Butler-to-Boston trade are all but dead.
With how bad the seemingly star-studded Bulls played last season, the public expectation was that there would be some big time moves during the offseason. Trade rumors have surrounded just about every player on the roster already this season and now with Rose being traded, it seems the organization is ready to move from the Rose-era to the Butler-era.
I would be shocked if the Bulls decided to move both Rose and Butler because that would basically put them back at square one. Especially with the likelihood that both Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol will be wearing different uniforms next season as well.
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The bottom line of this deal from a Celtics perspective is that Danny Ainge couldn’t yank Jimmy Butler away from Chicago and that they have even more pressure to be better this coming year with the improvement that the Knicks are likely to enjoy this coming season.