Why did the Memphis Grizzlies cut Derrick Rose?

Derrick Rose will play for a new team in the 2024-25 season. The Memphis Grizzlies have released the 35-year-old point guard, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported. The season MVP had a one-year contract with the Western Conference team that would pay him $3.4 million.

Rose’s season with the Grizzlies was marked by injuries. The 2010-11 NBA MVP played 24 games as a member of Memphis due to knee and hamstring injuries. The point guard averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in an average of 16.6 minutes per game.

Rose’s chances with the Grizzlies were set to diminish next season as Ja Morant looks to be fully healthy, and Scotty Pippen Jr. has grown as a player since joining Memphis. This move will also enable Memphis to create space on their roster and potentially recruit another player in the future.

Rose's NBA career

Rose, who announced last April that he would return for his 17th NBA season, is aiming to be a backup point guard for a Larry O’Brien Trophy contender. Other free agents include Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr.

The Chicago native arrived in the NBA in 2008 and made an immediate impact after being drafted by the Bulls with the first overall pick. He won the Rookie of the Year award and earned All-Star invites over the next three seasons.

In the 2010-11 season, he finished as MVP after leading the Bulls to first place in the Eastern Conference with 25 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. However, in the 2012 playoffs, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee that changed his career forever.

He never became an All-Star again and bounced around the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and another stint with the Madison Square Garden team before landing with the Grizzlies. The University of Memphis graduate has played in 723 regular-season games and has averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds.