Tyreke Evans - Memphis - one year, $3.3 mil
Rajon Rondo - Nawlins - one year, $3.3 mil
Derrick Rose - Cleveland - one year, $2.1 mil
That's his direct competition, players similarly flawed with injury and/or locker-room history. And they both got contracts before he did!
In short that's the market, I think you're overestimating Rose's worth at this point in time. Now if he stays healthy, on his best behavior and helps Cleveland out this season he might be in line to score a 3/45 deal from someone next season... but not now, not in 2017.
Superficially Durant went from a direct competitor, Rose came from the 30-win Knicks.
But mainly, Rose is signing a one year deal - it's a one-time only discount, there's no carryover. Durant signed a max deal then opted out and signed a non-max deal, which prevented the Dubs from either a) losing more depth, or b) paying an absolute fortune in luxury tax.
If you're asking why that's such a big deal, ask yourself this - why are NBA teams not allowed to offer heavily front-loaded contracts?
I said a one-time star, not a one-time All-star
Past tense.
Brian Williams joined a loaded team who needed frontcourt help for a bargain basement price. He then parlayed that exposure into a big free agent deal with the Pistons.
Rose is doing exactly the same thing. Now if he kept signing one-year minimum deals with Cleveland for the next five years, and was then awarded with a $50 million cheque to become 'team ambassador' after he retired... that'd be different.
Ugh.
I thought I was making a pretty clear distinction that I have no problem with David West type deals for any contending team, and that if people are bagging the Dubs for that deal - or the Javale McGee deal, to use a non-oldie example - then they're a little misguided.
I also don't see any problem with the Rose deal because his market is horribly deflated at this point in time - perhaps he could have squeezed a couple of million more out of Milwaukee, but who cares really? From what I read Bucks fans overwhelmingly didn't want anything to do with him.
FWIW I'm not someone who has bitched incessantly about Durant or the Dubs - sure I'd have preferred he didn't make that move, but there's no point hand-wringing about it forever. At the same time though I'm not blind to the fact that there's a pretty huge freaking difference between a Rose or Rondo or McGee level signing and signing Kevin Durant in his absolute prime on a very unusual contractual basis. It's not a Dubs thing, it just is what it is.