NBA Rumors: Lakers 'Will Make Strong Pursuit To Sign' Derrick Rose – Report

The Los Angeles Lakers could be exploring a deal for another resurgent NBA superstar, a report has said.

It is only the first round of the NBA playoffs, but some teams are already plotting their future moves. Ahead of the offseason, the Lakers are expected to pursue Derrick Rose, a projected in-demand player in the free agency market.

In the past, the Lakers were heavily linked to a move for Rose, but a deal never came to fruition. Now, NBA Analysis Network reported that according to an unnamed NBA executive, Los Angeles will “revisit” the botched Rose deal once the 2011 NBA MVP becomes a free agent. International Business Time could not independently verify this information.

“The Lakers have had a lot of interest in Derrick Rose over the last couple of years, but they haven’t gotten a deal done with him. I think they will revisit that option this offseason,” the exec said. “I believe they will make a strong pursuit to sign him when free agency opens up.”

Rose was traded by the Detroit Pistons to the New York Knicks earlier this season. In a total of 35 regular-season games with the Knicks, the 32-year-old averaged 15 points, 4.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game and became the team’s most efficient backup player.

This has led to the Knicks possibly considering offering the veteran guard a fresh deal this offseason, SNY's Ian Begley reported Friday.

“Some teams monitoring the point guard market in free agency believe Derrick Rose’s strong play will factor in to how NYK’s [Knicks] approaches the position this offseason,” Begley tweeted.

In the post-season, Rose was instrumental in the Knicks’ first Eastern Conference first-round win over the Atlanta Hawks.

When quizzed to reveal what has been “the hardest thing” to deal with in his resurgence, Rose admitted that he is still working on his game. However, he said he feels that there’s nothing he can’t overcome at this point.

“I’m still trying to put it together as you can see right now I’m left-hand dominant and trying to figure out what’s gonna be my bounce,” Rose explained. “The hardest thing? I wouldn’t say anything is hard man. I’m just very blessed and fortunate to be in this situation.”

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time,” the three-time NBA All-Star admitted. “In the past, people said I couldn’t play the minutes and they were worried about it, but I knew all along how much hard work I put into it.”