In the past few months, rumors have been circulating that the Los Angeles Lakers will seek roster upgrades before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. Though they remain as the No. 1 seed in the deep Western Conference, most people believe that the Lakers still have plenty of things to improve on their roster in order to have a better chance of returning to the NBA Finals and bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the 2019-20 NBA season. As of now, one NBA player being linked to the Lakers is Derrick Rose of the Detroit Pistons.
As the Pistons continue to struggle in the 2019-20 NBA season, multiple signs suggest that they will be trading some of their veterans, including Rose, before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline and start rebuilding their team. Rose may have not shown any indication that he’s no longer happy in Detroit, but at this point in his NBA career, he would undeniably be better off playing for a legitimate title contender than staying on a mediocre team like the Pistons. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report , the Lakers would be the ideal landing spot for Rose if he and the Pistons choose to go different directions this season.
As Buckley noted, the potential arrival of Rose in Los Angeles would immediately address the Lakers’ need of another shot creator and playmaker.
“When James needs a breather, this group struggles to function without him. The Lakers have a plus-10.5 net rating with him but a minus-1.9 mark when he sits. That’s too big of a swing not to address at the deadline. The Lakers have a glaring need for more playmaking, and Derrick Rose could be an excellent source of it. The former MVP is averaging career bests in points (25.4) and assists (8.1) per 36 minutes. He’s a better shooter at the rim now than ever (68.3 percent within three feet), so he could thrive in the same drive-and-kick role as James.”
Rose’s lone season of playing with LeBron James in Cleveland may have been a disaster, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the same thing will happen when they team up in Los Angeles again. Compared to his previous stint with the Cavaliers, Rose is now in good shape and starting to become a more reliable threat from beyond the arc. If he manages to remain healthy and becomes consistent with his performance, Rose would undeniably be a huge help for the Lakers when the real battle begins in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.