Report: Teams asking Pistons about trading for Derrick Rose

Washington, D.C. — As the trade talk about Andre Drummond has died down, there’s interest in another Pistons star that seems to be heating up.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and other teams have shown interest in trading for Pistons guard Derrick Rose. Haynes cited league sources indicating multiple contending teams have asked about Rose’s availability, including the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rose, who signed a two-year deal with the Pistons in the summer, is having a resurgent season, averaging 18.4 points and 5.8 assists in 38 games. He has started the last three games, posting 23.3 points and ramping his minutes up to 34 per game, though he was on a minutes restriction for the first half of the season.

It’s a continuation of last season, when Rose had a breakthrough with the Minnesota Timberwolves and re-energized his career. He was beset by injuries and played just 51 games, with 13 starts but with the Pistons managing his minutes more closely, Rose has flourished this season, gaining momentum toward a possible spot the All-Star Game on Feb. 16 in his hometown of Chicago.

The report noted that Rose “last week asked an extended role with more minutes,” according to unnamed sources and that he “is happy with the Pistons and isn’t looking to be traded.”

Rose, 31, could help give the Lakers an edge with his scoring punch but it’s unclear what the Lakers would be willing to surrender in a trade. With multiple teams in the running to gain Rose’s services, the asking price could go up, but with almost three weeks until the trade deadline on Feb. 6, there’s still plenty of time for those teams — or others — to figure out a potential deal.

Drummond had interest from the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks in recent weeks, but those conversations have grown cold.

Special day

The significance of playing on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday wasn’t lost on the Pistons, who visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Sunday night.

For coach Dwane Casey, 61, who grew up during the Civil Rights era, having the opportunity to coach on the holiday and honor Dr. King is special. He brought his family on the trip so that they could experience the museum and the capital on the holiday.

“I lived through Jim Crow. I lived through segregation. I've seen the worst of America and I've seen the best of America,” Casey said. “So, to be able to play and coach on today and the opportunity to coach in a great league, in which (commissioner) Adam Silver's done a great job of creating diversity — gay or straight, black and white. It doesn't matter what country you're from; there's opportunities in our league.”

The players wore special commemorative shirts with “We cannot walk alone,” written on the front and the full quote from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on the back.

Jackson's return

Casey said that Reggie Jackson could return this week, after he was cleared by doctors to resume basketball activities. “I don't know exactly when, but any time now. I think we have two more games this week, so sometime this week,” Casey said. “I think a lot of is going to depend on Reggie. He's been in practice dunking on people and talking more than anybody else, so I’ll be glad when he gets back.”

The tooth hurts

In the final minute of the game, Andre Drummond took a shot to the face and stayed down under the Wizards’ basket to get himself together.

It turns out that he took an elbow from Thomas Bryant to the mouth — and the blow was so hard that it knocked out his Drummond’s front tooth.

Drummond said he had previously had the tooth dislodged in a high school game and this one was an implant. He was escorted by team medical staff to the locker room for the final seconds of the game and was examined but just had swelling around his lip and no concussion symptoms.

Officials did not review the play for a potential flagrant foul.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard