Could Derrick Rose Be a Sacramento King this summer?

As crazy as it may sound, and believe me its crazy, the possibility of Derrick Rose getting traded this summer has more legs than some may want to think.

More from Kings News

Rose has gone down three times in the past three seasons, which is tough for any pro athlete to take. First it was an ACL injury to his left knee; then he then suffered not one but two meniscus tears to his right knee, the second of which resurfaced Tuesday night.

While three consecutive knee injuries should be enough to scare off any team from even trying to talk themselves into making moves, teams do crazy things, especially when it comes to player like Rose.

At his best, before the injuries, he was an MVP and a top 5 player in the league. His name still carries cache’ among basketball fans, and he was even starting to show flashes of his former self this season, including against the Cavaliers when he exploded for 30 points and seven assists. It was his 4th, 20 plus point game in five nights.

If a team can get their doctors to give ownership clearance and make them feel like recovery back to 80% of his former self a deal could be made.

New owners will use a “splash” move as a way to create a buzz and attempt to show fans they are willing to do whatever it takes to make winning happen. This has been dubbed the “New Owner Syndrome.”

Mikhail Prokhorov and Robert Sarver are the latest in a long line to fall victim to this disease.

Simply go back two seasons, when an energetic owner with deep pockets, Mikhail Prokhorov, purchased the Brooklyn Nets, who were still in New Jersey at the time. The goal was to be a significantly improved team when they made their move to Brooklyn. The Nets had just acquired point guard Deron Williams as Prokhorov took over, and he was set on making his splash on the 2010 free agency class which included LeBron James and Dwight Howard.

After striking out, he turned his sights to getting his big name player via trade. The Atlanta Hawks gladly obliged the Nets wishes by sending them Joe Johnson and his 4 year/$90 Million dollar deal.

Mar 30, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson (7) and forward Paul Pierce (34) during the second half against Minnesota Timberwolves at Barclays Center. the Brooklyn Nets won 114-99. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

This deal failed to get the Nets to where their new owner wanted them to be, so he doubled down, this time turning his sights towards aging superstars with championship pedigree, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. This trade only put Brooklyn in a bigger nightmare that has them among the league’s worst teams with contracts that have been virtually unmovable.

It has gotten so bad in Brooklyn, Prokhorov is looking to sell the team and garner his profits.

Shaquille O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns is another in a long line of deals of new owners trying to make a “splash”.

In 2008 the Phoenix Suns and new owner Robert Sarver traded a Suns legend in Shawn Marion, along with Marcus Banks, to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal had been out with a hip injury prior to his arrival in Phoenix, and he was also 36 years old and seemed like an awful fit for Coach Mike D’antoni’s “7 seconds or less” system.

Sarver wanted to add name value and not basketball value in this deal, and he did that. Predictably things did not go well in Phoenix and was gone after the following season.

Feb 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) shoots the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson (34) during the second half at the United Center. The Chicago Bulls defeat the Sacramento Kings 104-86. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

This is where the Sacramento Kings come into play.

A few things from the situations in Brooklyn and Phoenix are present currently in Sacramento. Vivek Ranadive is still in the early stages of his ownership regime, and he has already shown a willingness, along with the Kings front office, to take on questionable contracts.

They made a deal to land Rudy Gay, who last season had a player option for this season that would pay him over 19 million dollars, a contract that seemed all but un-tradeable among many NBA circles. While Gay did pick up the option for this season, they were able to swing a long term deal that would play Gay a much more team friendly deal of 3 years and 40 million dollars.

The other similarity to Brooklyn is the new arena that is currently being built. This ownership and front office has made it clear that they want to be good heading into their new arena.

Adding a player like Rose could build excitement about what he could be. They could also be patient with his recovery, as in their minds he could build excitement next season and be 100% or as close as he can be by the time the Kings play their first game in the new arena.

As a Kings fan, I am hoping and praying this does not happen and the odds are in favor of it not to. It would mean mortgaging a lot to do so, as Rose stands to makes over $40 million the next two seasons, and thanks to his history with injuries, this makes paying him this money a very scary proposition.

If the Kings were able to get him healthy however, it could mean landing a guard with elite potential that otherwise would not be available. Often times in smaller markets, landing players with franchise changing abilities is either done in the draft or players with questionable paths.

The latter helped the Kings land Chris Webber.

Webber was responsible for making the Kings one of the best teams in the NBA in the early 2000’s, and even took Sacramento to a Western Conference finals appearance that still hurts many Kings fans to think about.

It would require a huge gamble on the Kings part that could go one of two ways. Either Rose stays healthy and the Kings are Western Conference force, or Rose can never stay healthy and it take a handful of seasons to climb out of the hole they fell into, as the Orlando Magic experienced with Grant Hill.

As for what the Kings could send or what the Bulls may want — cap relief and role players — could get the job done. Below is an example of a possible trade thanks to the ESPN Trade Machine. The numbers would look a little different for 2015 but the general idea is there.

It would likely require the Bulls to send the pick the Kings owe to Boston and potentially the Kings to remove the protection from the pick to make it work from the Celtics point of view.

Schedule