NBA Free Agency: Derrick Rose willing to take pay cut to stay with the Knicks

According to Derrick Rose’s agent, B.J. Armstrong, the former MVP is willing to take a pay cut to remain with the New York Knicks.

A couple seasons after Derrick Rose was named the league MVP, he earned himself a big contract for roughly $94 million over five seasons. But ever since the day that he signed the papers, he hasn’t played the same, missing a bunch games due to injuries. So, at the end of the 2015-16 season, with one season left on his contract, the Chicago Bulls decided to trade him to the New York Knicks.

Rose had a relatively good season with his new team. Though he didn’t play a full season (64 games), his numbers were better than what they were in the past three seasons. He seems to like it in New York and he wants to continue playing there. He’ll even consider taking a pay cut to remain with the Knicks, according to Yaron Weitzman.

Weitzman said that Rose’s agent, B.J. Armstrong, told Bleacher Report that they have expressed to the Knicks that they want to stick with the team, and it is up to the Knicks to make the next move. Armstrong also said that Rose underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in April and it went well. Rose is currently “healthy and working out.”

Prior to the 2016-17 season, Rose said that the New York Knicks were a super team. However, due to many factors, such as bad management and injuries, they failed to make the playoffs. The Knicks finished the season 12th in the Eastern Conference with 31 wins. However, Rose managed to average 18 points per game on 47 percent shooting, which is an improvement from past seasons. Additionally, he remained healthy for most of the season, up until the end of the season when he injured his left knee and had to miss the Knicks’ remaining eight games.

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Though Rose is an experienced player with many skills, his health will always be in question. The Knicks seem to want to rebuild with a young core, so Rose may not be a player that they want on their roster. But New York has made decisions that weren’t in their best interest before, so who knows, they might bring Rose back. We’ll just have to wait and see.