'I'm Not Mad!' Could Buyout Send Derrick Rose from Knicks to Kyrie Irving & Mavs?

"I’m still here," Derrick Rose says about the idea of a buyout from the Knicks. "So my mindset has to be, OK, I’m gonna be here."

The vultures - the NBA buyout vultures - await.

Derrick Rose and the New York Knicks are suggesting the vultures might as well fly away.

“It’s still the same thing,'' said Rose amid speculation that even following an NBA trade deadline that saw him stick with the Knicks, there might be an escape from New York via a buyout. "I’m still locked in with the team, talking to the guys, mentoring.''

Having Rose, 34 and a former league MVP continue on in that role of mentor even as he's dropped out of the rotation for the 30-27 Knicks, is obviously the plan of coach Tom Thibodeau.

“I like to have him around me because he has a very positive impact on our group,” Thibodeau said.

Rose said he hasn’t given consideration to seeking a buyout, though speculation around the NBA has been rampant that a team like the Dallas Mavs, who just traded for Kyrie Irving to add to the Luka Doncic-led lineup, could use a player with Rose's skills.

Bottom line, though, for the Knicks: They apparently also feel the same way about Rose's skills - especially as a teacher for a team trying to contend.

“If I was mad or something,'' Rose said with a smile, "I wouldn’t be able to hide it. ... "I’m still here. So my mindset has to be, OK, I’m gonna be here."

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