DETROIT _ Derrick Rose was once the king of United Center.
He starred before nightly sellout crowds in his hometown, earning MVP honors with the Chicago Bulls in 2011 at age 22, the youngest recipient in league history.
The Bulls traded Rose in 2016.
There are fewer fans at Rose's current home, Little Caesars Arena. The Detroit Pistons, 11th in the Eastern Conference and fading from playoff contention, are entering a youth movement.
But Rose, now 31, has scored 20-plus in 14 straight games and is playing his best basketball since that MVP season.
He is affordable, and his playmaking could be a boon to a team trying to win an NBA title. Rose knows he's a commodity as Thursday's trade deadline approaches.
He wants to stay, but just like with the Bulls, it's not his call.
"It's up to the front office," Rose told the Free Press on Friday night after the Pistons' loss to the Toronto Raptors.
"If they decide to move me, I just have to be a professional wherever I land," he said.
Rose can probably rest easy.
Despite reported interest from the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers, multiple sources tell the Free Press it's highly unlikely he will be moved.
The asking price _ a lottery pick _ could be too much for teams, what with Rose's age and injury history.
But there are other reasons the Pistons want to retain him.
