The Cavaliers have had a pretty rough offseason thus far, rough enough to reportedly have LeBron James frustrated and concerned about the state of the team. It appears as though Cleveland is set to make its biggest acquisition of the summer though, as ESPN has reported the Cavaliers are in ‘serious talks’ to sign Derrick Rose on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum.
Derrick Rose is in serious talks with the Cavs on a 1-year deal, sources tell @wojespn and me.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 20, 2017
The former league MVP spent last season with the Knicks and scored 18 points per game in 64 appearances. It was a turbulent season though for Rose, as it was for the rest of the Knicks. The oft-injured guard hasn’t played more than 66 games since his MVP-winning season in 2010-11.
For the Cavs, Rose figures to be a decent addition, at least offensively. The biggest question will be whether or not Cleveland uses Rose and Kyrie Irving in the backcourt at the same time, either to start or finish games. Both are just six-foot-three, which would raise some defensive concerns.
If Rose comes off the bench for Cleveland, he could be the legitimate backup point guard the Cavs thought they were getting in Deron Williams this year. Williams was nonexistent in the Finals, but if Rose can stay healthy, he can lead a second unit.
Like the Warriors dealt with in the re-signing of Zaza Pachulia to a minimum deal, the luxury tax implications will be massive if Rose signs with Cleveland. The Cavaliers would have to pay about $12 million in taxes on the roughly $2.1 million deal.
The Cavaliers tax bill would increase from $71.8M to $83.4M if the remaining tax ML is used. Rose would cost $14.1M (salary + tax).
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 20, 2017
LeBron has constantly clamored for his team to acquire more scoring threats, and Rose is certainly that. How he fits in a potential matchup against the Warriors is probably a question for another day. For now, Cleveland is just looking to make some sort of noticeable improvement on a roster that looked to only be getting worse this offseason.
