After missing out on LeBron James, the Miami Heat have to turn their attention to the free agency market in search of a potential third star to round out their current roster.
Erik Spoelstra’s team currently has three open roster spots and around $10 million in cap space. According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, DeMar DeRozan is now viewed as Miami’s preferred target.
“Six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan now moves to the forefront of the Heat’s plans after he and the franchise have shared mutual interest through the years,” Siegel reports. “Before he was even traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2024, the Heat were viewed as a prime destination for DeRozan, who ranks fifth among active players in total points in his career.”
Siegel continued.
“DeRozan was waived by the Kings at the start of July and has since cleared waivers to become an unrestricted free agent.”
Should the Heat add DeRozan, they would be getting some secondary playmaking, elite mid-range scoring and veteran leadership. DeRozan would likely be interested in joining Miami due to him then having the chance to compete for a championship in South Beach.
DeRozan would give the Heat a veteran trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and DeRozan. Whether that trio would be good enough to establish the Heat as a championship contender would remain to be seen.
Giannis Didn’t Push Hard To Recruit LeBron James
The entire reason the Heat currently find themselves in this position is that LeBron James opted to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami had long been viewed as a potential front-runner to bring the veteran superstar back to South Beach.
According to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, Giannis didn’t make a very strong push to recruit LeBron following his own trade to Miami from the Milwaukee Bucks.
“But I think it bodes well that these guys all recruited him and wanted him to be there,” O’Connor explained in a July 24, edition of ‘The Kevin O’Connor Show.’ “Whereas with Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo really wasn’t recruiting LeBron James nearly as hard.”
O’Connor continued.
“And so I think with the rosters, Philly’s roster is better than Miami. (With) Miami (James) wasn’t getting recruited as much by their star player.”
Fortunately for the Heat, there’s still a handful of veteran stars remaining on the free agency market. Of course, DeRozan is one of them.
DeRozan Would Be Solid For The Heat
In terms of on-court production, DeRozan would be a strong addition to Miami’s roster. Last season, the veteran forward averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 77 regular-season games. He shot 49.7% from the field and 32% from deep.
DeRozan’s biggest issue is that his buckets rarely come from the perimeter. For any team aiming to build around Giannis, floor spacing is key. Therefore, Spoelstra would still need the Heat to add one or two more shooting specialists before the season gets underway. Otherwise, the floor spacing would be a legitimate issue in Miami.
Nevertheless, DeRozan is one of the most talented players remaining in free agency. Pat Riley could view this as getting the best available talent through the door. At which point, the Heat can figure things out on the court. That’s not the worst possible plan.
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