It has become well known that the Miami Heat are in the market for a veteran star, and DeMar DeRozan has emerged as a name the franchise is monitoring.
DeRozan spent the last two seasons playing for a (tanking) Sacramento Kings team. Last month, the Kings waived the former All-Star, and the immediate expectation was that he would sign with at least a fringe championship-contending team. The Heat and DeRozan have been linked for multiple years.
After the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who came over from the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster trade in June, the Heat knew it had to work strategically to build out the roster with more talent. Miami would be greatly limited in its approach because of the mechanisms of the Antetokounmpo trade, which saw the Heat surrender multiple young players and a stockpile of draft capital.
Miami Heat Eyes DeMar DeRozan, But NBA Scout Delivers Warning
GettySACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 21: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors at Golden 1 Center on January 21, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
DeRozan, who turns 37 this month, is still viewed as one of the top isolation scorers in the league. His scoring punch is something even contending teams would still value. The other side of the ball? Perhaps not so much.
According to an NBA scout who spoke to Heat reporter Ira Winderman, the Heat should steer clear of DeRozan unless it believes he would accept a bench role and play serviceable defense.
“Well, he’s got more left than Klay (Thompson),” the scout told Winderman. “But stylistically is the problem. He’s got to come off the bench — and he’s never come off the bench in his entire career (12 total times, all as a rookie in 2009-10). With him, Bam and Giannis, there would be no spacing. And he’s ball dominant. But if he could accept the role as a six-man type, he would bolster their bench and maybe finish games, too, I guess. No doubt, he can do that, as a finisher. Yeah, you could go to him. I think he’s still got some go-to ability.”
It’s typical for a player of DeRozan’s age to not provide much defensively. DeRozan wasn’t viewed as a sound on-ball defender even in his prime years.
“I mean, he’s not going to defend,” the scout continued. “When he was with San Antonio, he did start to pass the ball a little. But that’s not why you have him. That’s not his strength. But as a sixth man, considering the other options, he’s a cut above Thompson, for sure.”
Miami Likes DeRozan, But Not as Much as Klay
The scout believes DeRozan would still suit the Heat better than Thompson, the 36-year-old Mavericks guard. But the Heat still views Thompson, a five-time All-Star and a four-time champion, as a much higher priority than DeRozan.
“It appears that the Heat will remain patient in filling out the rest of its roster to give Thompson time to possibly shake free through a buyout agreement,” Heat reporter Anthony Chiang wrote for the Miami Herald. “While a trade for Thompson is also possible, it would be challenging to pull off considering the only three players on the Heat’s current roster able to be traded for Thompson in a one-for-one deal are Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell and Bobby Portis. The cleaner path is for the Mavericks to eventually agree to a buyout with Thompson, with Thompson hypothetically giving up $7 million of his current salary to become a free agent.”
It is fair to conclude that neither DeRozan and Thompson, both of whom are past their prime, would lock in the Heat as a title contender. The Heat, however, likes Thompson because of the shooting he would bring alongside Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
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