NBA Trade Rumors: 5 destinations for Derrick Rose
By Tom West
1. Philadelphia 76ers
Trading for another player who struggles with injuries when you already have Joel Embiid on your roster may seem hilarious to some. In all honesty, it kind of is. Imagining a world where MVP-level Rose somehow returns next to Embiid, who suddenly becomes a star, is fun when thinking about the woes of Philly.
Rose could be someone who catches the 76ers’ attention, though.
Back in February, we heard about them trying to trade Ish Smith when he brought a glimpse of success their way, and recently we’ve seen rumors emerge that they’re shopping both Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, with a preference to trade the latter (per Keith Pompey of Philly.com):
"The Sixers are shopping Okafor and center Nerlens Noel to other NBA teams. The franchise is expected to trade the player who brings them a better deal. Sources have said that the team would prefer to trade Okafor. The Sixers expect to get equal value in return, but it could be hard to do that when every team knows they are looking to unload the big man."
For Rose, Okafor seems like too much, despite teams knowing how eager the 76ers supposedly are to part ways with him and his terrible defense. Nevertheless, after the murmurs of trading Noel for Jeff Teague and overall interest in making moves, it’s clear the organization wants to shake things up.
If they’re looking for a new point guard who could look like a star again when healthy, using some combination of Noel and the other (very limited) pieces they have on their roster could work in a deal for Rose. As the Bulls expect to deal with the departure of at least one (if not both) of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol, they’d welcome a new frontcourt addition and possibly someone like Robert Covington on the wing. Maybe they can land one (or two) of the 76ers’ many 2016 draft picks as well.
As the NBA trade rumors continue to change, the speculation over the future of players such as Rose and Jimmy Butler will throw up plenty of possibilities. Right now, though, their futures are more of a guessing game, but the trade partners are out there for a Bulls team ready to deal.
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