Los Angeles Lakers: 5 non-star point guards to target in free agency
By Robert Marvi
2. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose was a feel-good story during the 2018-19 NBA season. After years of dealing with the residual effects of a torn ACL back in the 2012 playoffs, he averaged 18.0 points and 4.3 assists on 48.2 percent shooting for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He even shot 37.0 percent from downtown, which was remarkable given that he had always been a poor 3-point shooter throughout his career.
If you’ve forgotten, Rose was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year and the regular season MVP in 2010-11 when he led the Chicago Bulls to a 62-20 finish and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
After making just over $2.1 million this season, he could also be an inexpensive option for the penny-pinched Lakers.
However, the elephant in the room with Rose is his health. Can he stay healthy for most of the regular season, and especially the playoffs? Since his ACL injury, he hasn’t played more than 66 games in a single regular season.
Still, it looks like he has plenty of game left, and he’ll only be 31 next season.