One day after introducing Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to the New York media, the Knicks made the re-signing of veteran point guard Derrick Rose official as the organization continues to bolster its backcourt ahead of the 2021-22 season.
“Derrick’s arrival last season played a major role in our team’s success and the culture we instilled,” Knicks president Leon Rose said Wednesday, “He continues to be a great player and teammate and is an extension of [head coach Tom] Thibodeau on the court. We look forward to him being a key piece of our team moving forward.”
While the Knicks did not disclose the figures of Rose’s deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this month that it was a three-year, $43 million pact.
The 32-year-old veteran was acquired from the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2020-21 season where he immediately made an impact on a young, uncertain group of point guards.
Upon his arrival, he became an invaluable mentor to rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley while providing an upgrade over the likes of Elfrid Payton.
He averaged 14.9 points and 4.2 assists in 26.9 minutes per game to start his second stint with the Knicks after playing with New York during the 2016-17 season.
While the Knicks crashed out of the playoffs following a regular season of exceeded expectations, Rose was one of his team’s most valuable performers in the first-round loss against the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 19.4 points and five assists over the five games.
Rose is slated to be an imperative member of the Knicks’ rotation off the bench behind Walker, allowing Thibodeau to experiment with the flexibility of moving Quickley to the shooting guard spot after a slow start running the point during Summer League games.
