Yes, already.
Derrick Rose has two years remaining on his current deal with the Chicago Bulls, but given the kind of money NBA players are raking in these days, the former MVP can’t help but wonder what kind of value he’ll command on the open market in 2017.
Rose, unprompted, brings up his free agency two years from now. “All the money that’s being handed out. I know my day is coming.”
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 28, 2015
Despite 2 years left on deal, Rose said he’s preparing for free agency because of “all the money that they’re passing out in this league.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 28, 2015
Rose said his free agency focus is to remain with Bulls “but when you talk about that much money the only thing you can do is prepare.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 28, 2015
Rose, 26, briefly discussed accusations of sexual misconduct that he’s facing—maintining his innocence—before delving into his financial future.
Per ESPN:
Derrick Rose says he “will be proven innocent” of the sexual misconduct accusations brought against him this summer.
“This whole summer I had tunnel vision,” he said. “My mindset was just making sure that I was working out every day and spending as much time as possible with my son and focusing on them two things. […] Making sure that my family is financially stable — as far as, you see all the money that they’re passing out in this league, [I’m] just telling the truth, just knowing that my day will be coming up soon. It’s not for me, it’s for [son] P.J. and his future. so that’s what I’m thinking about right now.”
Rose reasserted a few moments later he still believes his future is in Chicago, but with all the big money coming into the league because of the new television deals, he wants to keep the possibilities open. […] “It’s here,” he said. “But when you talk about that much money, the only thing you can do is prepare for it, trying to prepare not only myself but my family. I’m doing all of this for my son. I’m thinking about his future even though we’re all right, we’re comfortable. When you talk about that ‘X’ amount of dollars, I think it raises everyone’s eyebrows. It’s nothing wrong with being over-prepared.”
