Milwaukee Bucks: 5 last minute trade targets before 2022-23 NBA season

Derrick Rose could be a last minute trade target for the Milwaukee Bucks

The backup point guard position has been a hot topic of discussion for the Milwaukee Bucks since they fell to the Boston Celtics in the 2022 postseason. George Hill, who occupied the role, failed to make much of an impact whatsoever during the playoffs. Many have called for the front office to pursue an upgrade to help improve Milwaukee’s bench ahead of next season. If the team is looking to patch up one of its biggest flaws, one player that could be worth targeting is Derrick Rose.

Since transitioning to a full-time bench role in 2018-19, Rose has become one of the league’s best second unit players. In that timeframe, he has averaged 16.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The Bucks could certainly use productivity like that off their bench, given their struggles last season. According to NBA.com/stats, the Bucks ranked 27th in points and 28th in assists off the bench per game last season, both of which hurt this team mightily. Adding Rose would help bump those numbers up and make this bench brigade more formidable.

Rose would also make for an interesting pairing with Jrue Holiday when Mike Budenholzer decides to roll with his two point guard lineups. In these situations, a player like Rose could shoulder some of the workload offensively with his scoring and facilitating, alleviating some of the pressure from Holiday. This would free up Holiday to focus more on his defense rather than having to defend one of the opposing team’s best players and orchestrate Milwaukee’s offense. Hill did not provide the requisite scoring to make these two point guard lineups work last season, and the Bucks would benefit by targeting a guard that could improve these lineups.

The two biggest concerns with Rose are his outside shooting and his health. The former MVP has never been a marksman, having shot 31.6 percent from deep in his career. However, interestingly enough, over the last two seasons, Rose has shown improvement by knocking down 39.4 percent of his triples on 2.9 attempts per contest. Rose is far from an elite 3-point shooter, but if he could replicate his numbers from over the past two seasons, he’d fit right in with the Bucks. His health is the bigger question at hand. It is no secret that the 33-year-old has had his share of injuries over the years, and he was limited to just 26 games last season after undergoing ankle surgery. Rose’s injury history could make the team hesitant to go all-in on him, but due to everything else, he may be worth the gamble.

Before the New York Knicks missed out on Donovan Mitchell, Rose was mentioned in trade rumors. While it remains unclear how the team views him at this moment, the Bucks should keep an eye on the situation to see if the guard becomes available. Rose is set to make $14.5 million in 2022-23, a price the Bucks could meet if they desired. A package with Grayson Allen and Hill fits the billing financially, though it is unclear what the Knicks would think about that deal. Whatever the case, the Bucks are on the record trying to acquire Rose, as Yahoo! Sport’s Vincent Goodwill reported they were in the running for him before the Knicks got him in 2021. That interest may be lingering still, and the Bucks should make a push to acquire the veteran.