Longtime NBA star DeMar DeRozan implied that he considered joining the Miami Heat in free agency before he was dealt to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team sign-and-trade deal.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that the Heat were viewed as the favorites to land DeRozan early on in July.
“The [Los Angeles] Lakers aggressively pursued Klay Thompson, but Thompson turned down their offer of more years and money from the Lakers to join the Dallas Mavericks, according to league sources,” wrote Buha. “They’ve now turned their attention to DeMar DeRozan, though the Miami Heat are currently viewed as slight favorites to land the 15-year veteran and six-time All-Star, according to league sources.”
The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson also reported around that time that DeRozan and the Heat were mutually interested in each other.
“The Heat has expressed interest in Bulls free agent guard DeMar DeRozan, and DeRozan also has interest in Miami, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation,” Jackson and Chiang wrote. “The Heat is among several teams in play for the six-time All Star.”
DeRozan also admitted that the Philadelphia 76ers — the team Paul George signed with in free agency — Los Angeles Lakers — who are led by a star trio of LeBron James and Anthony Davis — and Los Angeles Clippers were among the other teams in contention to land the 35-year-old.
Prior to being traded to the Kings, DeRozan spent each of his last three seasons in the NBA playing for the Chicago Bulls. His stint in Chicago was relatively brief but still noteworthy, considering he earned two All-Star appearances with the team.
Additionally, DeRozan’s first season with the Bulls was arguably the best season of his NBA career to date from a statistical perspective. He averaged a career-high 27.9 points on 50.4 percent shooting from the floor and 35.2 percent from 3-point range while also chipping in 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 0.9 steals per contest.
DeRozan didn’t see nearly as much playoff success with the Bulls as he did with the Toronto Raptors earlier on in his NBA career though. Chicago made only one playoff appearance with DeRozan on the roster, and the Bulls lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
The forward’s new team — the Kings — didn’t qualify for the 2024 NBA Playoffs either, but the squad has plenty of star power with which to complement DeRozan. De’Aaron Fox is one of the best scoring guards in the NBA today, while Domantas Sabonis is a uniquely skilled big man who can score, pass and rebound at a high level.
