The New York Knicks wanted to improve their backcourt and have done so in name only by acquiring Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon.

This trade immediately draws comparisons to the first move Isiah Thomas made as general manager when the Knicks traded for Stephon Marbury. There are two key differences between the two deals:

1. The Knicks have a future franchise player in Kristaps Porzingis and the remaining prime of Carmelo Anthony, while Marbury's Knicks had one of the worst supporting casts in NBA history.

2. Marbury was younger, healthier and way better when the Knicks traded for him than Rose is at this point in his career.

Rose provided a great counter narrative in 2011 when he won MVP by being the new version of LeBron James. Rose played for his hometown team who won a ton of regular season games by playing a physically menacing brand of basketball. The best player in the NBA that season was Dwight Howard but it was easier for the media to run with the Rose story since they were taking a year off from honoring LeBron on principle. Rose was a very good player with a sellable story.

Everything changed in that lockout-shortened season when Rose’s injury issues rose to the surface before eventually tearing his ACL on April 29, 2012. Rose missed the entire 12-13 season in a weird, ongoing saga between his camp and the Bulls that seemed to mostly be able collecting an insurance check.

When Rose did return in 2013, he only played in 10 games before tearing the meniscus in his other knee. 

Returning to his new normal in 14-15 and 15-16, Rose was about a league average point guard who shot below 30 percent on three-pointers. There were glimpses of the old Rose in last year’s playoffs, but not enough to really believe in him evolving into a lesser version of his All-Star self. With physically gifted players like Rose who don’t have a ton of skill, there’s not enough room for them to operate as a physically worse version of themselves the way someone like Chris Paul has after tearing his meniscus.

Rose is incapable of playing anywhere near his pre-injury form and his post-injury play is basically replacement level. As Adi Joseph pointed out, Rose was the third best point guard traded on the eve of the draft.

The Knicks clearly didn’t like their chances of signing Mike Conley in free agency and there isn’t another automatic starter quality point guard available this offseason.

The opportunity cost to acquire Rose isn’t outrageous and fortunately the worst case scenario is he’s a one-year rental that doesn’t work out and they have created cap space for 2017 in the process by unloading Lopez. That 2017 cap space is contingent on not using it this offseason and these are the Knicks we’re talking about. Just minutes before the Rose trade was announced, there was a report indicating Dwight Howard is interested in signing with the Knicks. The Knicks don't have their own lottery pick in Thursday's draft as that was sent in various forms as part of both the Anthony and Andrea Bargnani trades.

Look, I've been sympathetic to the Knicks' modus operandi since the Isiah Thomas days. Rose just very clearly isn't the player he once was. This isn't as good as the Marbury trade, or the Warriors trading for a 25-year-old Baron Davis in 2005. Those types of trades can work if you get the right player at the right time who needs a new environment.  

Lopez was signed to a nice four-year, $54 million deal last offseason and that’s gone, as is the final season of Jose Calderon’s deal the Knicks took on to part ways with Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. Lopez allowed the Knicks to avoid playing Porzingis at center, plays solid defense and was a more than functional cog in their offense.

The issue for the Knicks is the trajectory of the franchise. They are repeating their mistakes of the past by going short-term when they should be building long-term around Porzingis by trading away Anthony for younger players that can evolve into a sustainable contender. Not only do Rose and Anthony prevent the Knicks from building around him, they are also high usage players that will stunt his development offensively.

The Knicks own their first rounder next year in what will be an incredibly deep class where they can add another star to Porzingis. A better chance at a high pick and more young talent is the prudent path for the Knicks rather than low probability redemption projects like Rose and Howard that don't align with Porzingis' timetable. The longer the Knicks delay in building around Porzingis in earnest, the more problematic the middle seasons of his career become.

Grade for Knicks: D+

Jerry Reinsdorf and the Bulls had no interest in even entertaining the idea of signing Rose to another massive, multi-year contract. For as quickly the Rose pick was the perfect match of player and franchise early in his career, it became an untenable mess just as quickly. The issues of both Rose and the Bulls were magnified in their opposition to each other.

Chicago moves on this offseason from Rose as well as Joakim Noah by acquiring their center replacement in Lopez.

The Bulls also acquire Jerian Grant, who had an inconsistent season as a 23-year-old rookie. Fred Hoiberg’s system should fit Grant better playing pick-and-roll heavy sets as opposed to the version of the triangle Derek Fisher and Kurt Rambis were running. 

Most importantly, the Bulls become Jimmy Butler’s team. Butler clearly became the far better player during the early part of the 14-15 season and they were unable to coexist on the floor or seemingly in the locker room. There had been a number of Butler trade reports this offseason and those stop now that Rose is gone.

Rose’s trade value had completely cratered over the past few years and there was never going to be a great return for him at this point beyond some type of shocking offer from the Kings. Chicago did well to get an above average center on a below market contract and a potential rotational guard in exchange for Rose’s walk year. 

Grade for Bulls: A-