Stunning news came out of Cleveland on Friday as the Cavs announced that Derrick Rose is currently away from the team and re-evaluating his future in the NBA as he rehabs from yet another injury.
Rose hasn’t suited up for the Cavs since Nov. 7, following an ankle sprain he suffered against the Bucks earlier this month.
The former MVP signed a one-year deal with the Cavs worth the veteran’s minimum last summer, in part to fill in for Isaiah Thomas as he continues to recover from a hip injury. But a great deal more money hangs in the balance if he does, in fact, decide to retire from the NBA.
While Rose is on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Cavaliers for this season, he still has seven seasons left on the 13-year, $185 million Adidas extension he signed in 2012. The brand is “absolutely” protected, according to an industry source familiar with NBA endorsement deal exit clauses.
If Rose files retirement paperwork with the league, the terms of any remaining years on the Adidas deal will not be paid out. Even though Rose’s star power has faded in recent years, Adidas has been contractually obligated to continue producing and marketing a DRose signature sneaker each year. Rose had been wearing the DRose 8 model this season.
This isn’t the first time Rose has taken an unexpected leave of absence. Last season, Rose went AWOL from the Knicks to deal with what he described at the time as a “family situation.” Though he didn’t go completely off the radar this time around, it’s clear that injuries and steadily declining play have taken a toll on the three-time All-Star.
Obviously, Rose has a lot to consider before he makes a decision, and a mega endorsement deal like the one he signed with Adidas earlier in his career could weigh heavily on that.
(ESPN.com)
