With the team having an obvious need at the point guard position and its overall lack of three-point shooting, Sixers general manager Elton Brand is probably one of the more active team builders as the NBA’s February 6 trade deadline approaches.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Detroit Pistons have emerged as one of the Eastern Conference’s teams that are believed to be interested in selling some of its pieces, with Andre Drummond’s name having been mentioned as someone who could be on the move.
On Monday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that another Piston has generated some trade interest, as well — Derrick Rose.
According to the insider, the Sixers are among the teams who have registered interest in acquiring the point guard from Detroit. The Lakers, according to Haynes, are currently believed to be one of the other interested parties.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and multiple teams with championship aspirations have expressed interest in trading for Detroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose, league sources told Yahoo Sports…
Rose, 31, is garnering considerable interest that wasn’t there when he was a free agent last summer.
His return to productivity nothing short of incredible, Rose has proven that he has a lot of gas left in the tank. At 31 years old, he enters play on January 20 with per-game averages of 18.3 points and 5.9 assists. He’s shooting 50.3% from the field in 25.8 minutes.
While there’s little doubt that Rose could contribute something to a contending team, the Sixers’ interest is considered exploratory, it seems. For reference, the league average from three-point territory is 35.4%. Rose is a 30.4% career shooter from distance and is connecting on 31.8% of his looks from deep this season. In other words, he’s less than average from beyond the arc.
Obviously, three-point shooting is the end-all, be-all in basketball, but a potential acquisition of Rose could further complicate things in Philadelphia, in that Ben Simmons’ inability to function as a floor spacer has been perceived as a hindrance on Joel Embiid.
Adding Rose would certainly give the Sixers another talented player who could excel at breaking down defenses and creating plays, but his fit with Simmons and Embiid doesn’t seem guaranteed.
At this point, neither does a trade bringing him to Philadelphia, but Haynes’ report is certainly worth mentioning.