Grizzlies Sign Former MVP Derrick Rose, per Report

The three-time All-Star played one season at the University of Memphis before entering the NBA in 2008.

Derrick Rose has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal to join the Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ian Begley of SNY-TV first reported the news. Rose’s deal is reportedly worth $6.5 million, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Rose returns to Memphis 15 years after playing his lone season at the University of Memphis, where he led the Tigers on a NCAA Final Four run and an unforgettable battle in the 2008 men’s national championship game against Kansas.

The three-time All-Star joins the Grizzlies after spending the last three seasons with the Knicks in his second stint with the franchise. New York declined Rose’s team option on June 24, allowing the guard to become a free agent.

Last season, Rose averaged 5.6 points in 27 games. He has not played in more than 40 games since the 2020–21 campaign when he played for the Pistons and was later traded to the Knicks in February of that season.

In the first two years of his second tenure in the Big Apple, Rose averaged double-digit points and at least four assists per game in both seasons. With Ja Morant serving a 25-game suspension to start the 2023–24 season, Rose gives Memphis another option at guard alongside Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane.

But more than anything, Rose—who turns 35 in October—provides Memphis with much-needed veteran presence in the locker room for players like Morant, who has often been compared to the veteran guard.

“He really made it to where people believe in guys like me,” Morant said after a game against the Knicks in November, per the Commercial Appeal. “Coming in, athletic guards, I felt like he was pretty much the one who kind of made it more famous. With how acrobatic his finish is, his touch around the rim, and how explosive he was. ...He was my comparison.” 

🧘🏽‍♂️🌹 https://t.co/OGOqzSbbKx

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) July 1, 2023

Shortly after the Grizzlies acquired Rose on Friday night, Morant tweeted a rose emoji in reaction to the news.