Begley: The Knicks have had "internal discussions" about trading for Derrick Rose

Hey here's a thing to nibble on this Friday afternoon:

The New York Knicks are looking to upgrade their backcourt, and one player on their radar is Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

The Knicks have had internal discussions recently about trading for Rose, league sources tell ESPN.

There are more words in Ian Begley's report, but that's the extent of the rumor.

If that accurately represents the thinking of the Knicks front office-- and one never knows! -- it makes some sense. The Knicks need a point guard, and they know they'll have to be creative or take some risks to get one soon. Derrick Rose is a point guard who was once extremely good. He makes $21 million next season, and then his contract ends, so that's nice. It's nice because since the time he was an extremely point guard, Rose has been a mostly mediocre/hurt point guard, so it's very difficult to guess what his next contract should look like, and how he'd perform on it. His next year of basketball will determine all that.

Speaking of 21 million dollars: How do you trade for that? Probably just give up someone/something of minimal value and absorb Rose's contract into cap space, like a de facto free agent. It's a somewhat feasible back-up plan for what might be a difficult summer of free agency. Just no picks, y'all. Shit, I'd *demand* picks.

But anyway, and most of all: Internal discussions are internal discussions, and knowing the way Phil Jackson's Knicks have leaked, they might not even be that. We don't know the source on this, and we have no indication anyone has picked up a phone or done anything more than, like, say Rose's name out loud.

The Knicks probably won't trade for Derrick Rose. It's an interesting thing to consider, though!