After landing one former NBA MVP from New York in Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns are reportedly interested in grabbing another.
The Knicks’ guard Derrick Rose has emerged as the “primary candidate” the Suns are monitoring in the ball-handler buyout market, according to a report from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Haynes noted that while Rose has fallen out of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation since the start of 2023, “a buyout still feels unlikely.” However, citing sources close to the situation, the door is not completely shut, either.
Prior to the Feb. 9 trade deadline, Marc Stein reported that New York wanted to find Rose a situation that would work well for him in a trade. That deal never materialized and, if Rose wants to join a playoff-bound team, he must get that deal done before March 1.
When Stein first reported at the end of December about the possibility of the Knicks dealing Rose, he cited one issue stating the team would “do right by” the veteran guard.
Rose re-signed with the Knicks on a three-year, $43 million deal in the 2021 offseason and the final year of that deal is a team option worth $15.6 million which, even if Rose ultimately stays, does not appear likely to be picked up