Derrick Rose's agent says player wants to remain in New York

Derrick Rose's agent, B.J. Armstrong, reiterated on Saturday that Rose "wants to be in New York" after the Knicks included the player in trade discussions prior to the trade deadline on Thursday. Armstrong added that he and Rose understand that the Knicks were operating in their best interests when talking to opposing teams about a Rose deal.

"It was an opportunity to see what his value truly was throughout the league," Armstrong said on Sirius XM NBA radio on Saturday. "So as you can see, through all the reports, there were teams that were interested in him and what he does and what he brings to the court."

Several teams contacted the Knicks prior to the deadline to discuss potential Rose deals, according to sources.

New York was primarily focused on a trade centered around Rose and Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio prior to the deadline, per sources. The Knicks, sources say, were seeking an additional asset to Rubio in exchange for Rose, but according to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Knicks backed off of that demand and offered a Rubio-for-Rose trade straight up shortly before the deadline. Minnesota balked at the deal, according to Stein.

"I wasn't surprised that he wasn't traded," Armstrong said of Rose, who is in the final year of his contract and his first season with the Knicks. "Derrick is putting together, game by game, coming back and really beginning to play at a consistent level to where he's at and what he's going to be at this stage of his career. So I think there was a lot of rumors, his name was out there. But in the end, I think the Knicks did what they thought was in their best interests."

Rose said on Friday that there are "no grudges and no hard feelings" about being the subject of trade talk and that he wants to be a Knick. Armstrong reiterated that on Saturday.

"Like I've said all along, and like he's said all along, you know what, he wants to be in New York. He feels comfortable there," Armstrong said. "But we understand the business. ... When no one is calling for you [prior to the trade deadline] is when you're in trouble."

It is unclear if the Knicks plan to re-sign Rose, who has averaged 17.6 points and 4.5 assists in 32 minutes this season.

Rose has shown an ability to penetrate at will and has remained relatively healthy. But some in the organization were upset when Rose left the team and headed home to Chicago without informing them of his whereabouts, missing the Knicks' loss to the Pelicans on Jan. 9.

Rose was fined for his absence, which he described as a personal issue. Jeff Hornacek said at the time that the team understood why he needed to leave but wished that he'd told them before he departed.