NBA Rumors: Derrick Rose Could Make A Return To The Chicago Bulls If He Can Stay Healthy

Derrick Rose could return to the team where he shined as NBA MVP, a new rumor indicates.

There is a catch, however — he has to get healthy first.

There is plenty of interest around where the talented but oft-injured point guard will be playing next season. Rose had a very promising start to the current season before a fracture in his elbow led to surgery and likely another season cut short by a major injury. As Fadeaway World noted, there still seems to be plenty of interest in Rose around the league, but his health will likely play the biggest factor in where he lands next.

The report cited the Chicago Tribune‘s K.C. Johnson, who noted that the Chicago Bulls had shown some interest in Rose earlier in the season, but that was before he likely lost the season to injury. Johnson noted that this could drive the Bulls to look at other options for the point, like Ricky Rubio or Patrick Beverly.

But Derrick Rose could still be a good fit for the Chicago Bulls, a city where he remains a popular figure and a young team in need of some veteran leadership during a rebuilding phase that has at times been painful. Rose also appears to be planning to continue his NBA career, with a new autobiography coming out later this year that seems to indicate he’s not hanging up his sneakers anytime soon.

Get ready to learn plenty about Derrick Rose this year — depending on how much the sometimes mercurial NBA veteran actually shares about himself in his autobiography.https://t.co/LQdmYGZhRu via @_phil_thompson pic.twitter.com/QhxxWRmXYr

— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) March 26, 2019

The future for Derrick Rose will likely come down to how quickly and fully he can recover from the latest injury. Before his surgery, the 30-year-old Rose was averaging 18.3 points and 4.4 assists this year, leading Bobby Marks of ESPN to speculate on Twitter that Rose would likely be a priority for teams looking to sign a reliable backup point guard.

“Didn’t think we could say this before the season starts but Derrick Rose should be a priority for teams (and Minny) looking for bench help when FA starts in July. Rose has accepted his role as a 6th man. Certainly could see him in that mid level range (6-8M).”

But there also had been plenty of speculation before this season that Derrick Rose could retire, and those rumors are likely to start again if he is slow to recover from the elbow surgery. It will also likely affect his chances of getting the mid-level contract that Bobby Marks predicted he might before the injury.