He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a minimum salary for the 2017–18 season but was hobbled by ankle injuries, which led to him being traded to, and subsequently waived by, the Utah Jazz in February 2018.

[6] He signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves a month later on a rest-of-season contract; he stayed with the team through the following season and enjoyed a revived role as a sixth man off the bench despite missing 31 games due to injury management.

[8][9] As his talent for the sport grew, Rose began to attract much more outside attention in Chicago's basketball circles, leading his mother and brothers to restrict outside contact to him.

That rule did not lessen Rose's play, and he went on to put up 18.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led both the freshmen and sophomores to city championships with a 24–1 record.

[12] Hambric softened his stance and allowed the freshman a chance to play on varsity in the state tournament, but Rose declined, wanting the players to get due credit.

In 2009, Rose was named the decade's third greatest high school point guard by ESPN RISE magazine behind Chris Paul and T. J. Ford,[33] and had his jersey number (#25) retired along with Ben Wilson.

[39] With the addition of Rose and led by veteran upperclassmen Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers started out the season ranked third in the nation.

Rose earned high praise for his increased focus on defense, hounding Texas Longhorn guard D. J. Augustin into a low-percentage game in the Elite Eight.

[46] Against Kansas, Rose scored 17 points on 7–of–17 shooting, along with six rebounds and seven assists, but missed a critical free throw at the end of the second half as Memphis fell in overtime, 75–68.

[52] The Chicago Sun-Times revealed the school as Simeon Career Academy and that three of the four were Rose and his former teammates Kevin Johnson and Tim Flowers, prominent members of the back-to-back championship teams.

[52] The newspaper claimed that Rose's grade was changed from a D to a C.[52] Another part of the report stated that "high school staff lost the original permanent records for three of the above mentioned students athletes" (including the unknown four).

[64] Rose became the first Bulls draftee to score 10 points or more in his first 10 games since Michael Jordan,[65] and earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November and December.

Meanwhile, the Bulls, re-energized by the trade deadline acquisitions of John Salmons and Brad Miller, finished the regular season on a 12–4 spurt to qualify as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

[76] On January 28, Rose was elected to his first career All-Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference, making him the first Bulls player to be selected since Michael Jordan in 1998.

[92] However, he bounced back the next day, scoring a season-high 35 points in a 98–88 win over the Washingtons Wizards, with coach Tom Thibodeau stating after the game that Rose "imposes his will on everybody".

Philadelphia coach Doug Collins tried to have defensive specialists Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner take turns guarding Rose, but to little effect, as he hit a series of spectacular shots and added eight assists to announce his return to MVP form.

[94] On March 7, Rose confirmed his clutch reputation as he hit a step back fadeaway jumper to beat the buzzer against the Milwaukee Bucks, handing the Bulls a 106–104 win.

[110] On January 28, Rose scored a step-back jumper with seven seconds on the clock to give the Bulls a 113–111 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors; however he only made 13 out of 33 shots from the field, and had a career-high 11 turnovers.

He showed signs of his old MVP ability as he scored 10 points over the final three and a half minutes to lift the Bulls after they blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

[126] On March 25, Rose again dazzled the Madison Square Garden, scoring 30 points with a variety of acrobatic finishes and circus shots; however the Bulls lost 106–94 against the Knicks.

[131] On June 22, 2016, Rose was traded, along with Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round draft pick, to the New York Knicks in exchange for José Calderón, Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez.

[132] Rose opted for the number 25 shirt which he wore in his high school days, and stated that the Knicks are a "super team" with him, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porziņģis among the ranks.

[138] On December 3, Rose scored 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves, hitting two key free throws with half a minute to go, to give the Knicks an insurmountable eight-point lead before ultimately winning 118–114.

[139] On December 12, he scored 25 points in a 118–112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, hitting a clutch push shot with 19.4 seconds left to put the game beyond doubt.

[142] As the season progressed, Rose increasingly expressed frustration with coach Jeff Hornacek's implementation of the triangle offense, describing it as "random" and "confusing".

[168] On December 9, Rose scored the game winner in a 105–103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, hitting a buzzer beater with a close range fadeaway jumper against Jrue Holiday.

On February 8, 2021, Rose was traded back to the New York Knicks for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round draft pick, once again reuniting him with coach Tom Thibodeau and former teammate Taj Gibson.

[211] A combination of explosiveness, leaping ability and speed allowed him to attack the basket frequently, using a repertoire of acrobatic finishes to score over taller players.

[212] After the injuries, Rose compensated for his loss of athleticism by becoming more patient, methodical and creative with his shot selection, which increased his efficiency compared to his early years when he considered himself to be more "reckless".

Rose started using the bank shot more frequently and with greater success during the 2015–16 season, after struggling with his shooting due to what he attributed to depth perception issues following eye surgery in 2015.