Thus far in free agency, the Miami Heat have been shockingly quiet but that could soon change. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat have been pursuing Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, who appears unlikely to return to his current team next season.
The Miami Heat have been talking to DeMar DeRozan and expect to receive an update in 24 hours, per @flasportsbuzz pic.twitter.com/FcsYlHhpnv
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 2, 2024
Even though he is technically a free agent, the Heat don't have the cap space or the exceptions needed to sign him away from the Bulls. Instead, a sign and trade is the route they would have to take to land him.
That might mean a deal involving Duncan Robinson and a pick for DeRozan. Bringing in DeRozan would be a win from a talent perspective after he averaged 24 points per game last season despite being 34 years old. Nevertheless, adding him to their roster would present challenges for the Heat.
Can the Miami Heat land DeMar DeRozan and can he make an impact?
If the Heat can acquire DeRozan without having to give up much, then he would be a talent upgrade, but his fit with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo is questionable at best. None of those players shoot threes and the Heat as a whole ranked just 18th in 3-point attempts and 21st in offensive rating last season.
Swapping out their best shooter in Robinson for DeRozan might make it harder for them to space the floor and harder for them to score efficiently, even despite DeRozan's terrific scoring and playmaking ability. There is also the question of whether adding DeRozan would be enough for the Heat to keep pace with the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers, or if they can even go toe to toe with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks.
The answer would seem to be no. Then there is the possible issue with his contract since NBA sign and trade rules mean that the Heat would have to sign the 34-year-old DeRozan to at least a 3-year deal. There are definitely some potential red flags before the heat but they can't afford to stand pat, and if DeRozan wants to play in Miami, they should make it happen and try to make it work.