NBA star DeMar DeRozan is on the record as saying that he considered the Miami Heat to be a “real, personal, legitimate” option for him as a free agent in the summer of 2024 before he joined the Sacramento Kings.
That offseason, DeRozan got moved from the Chicago Bulls to the Kings in a three-team sign-and-trade deal. He signed a three-year contract as part of the transaction.
Around a year after DeRozan considered joining the Heat, it seems as if he could be in play for Miami once again. Kings reporter James Ham explained on a recent podcast episode that the Heat are interested in DeRozan, especially if they miss out on Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
“What we’ve heard in the past is that DeMar DeRozan — No. 1, when he was choosing which team to go to last summer, one of his options was the Sacramento Kings, of course, which is where he ended up landing,” Ham said.
“But also, there was the possibility of him landing with the Miami Heat. I would say at this point, everything I’m hearing behind the scenes is that there is still interest in DeMar DeRozan from the Miami Heat, especially if they miss out on Kevin Durant. If they land Kevin Durant, I think that all of this changes, right?
“But if they don’t end up with Kevin Durant, they’re still looking for that scorer that they lost when they traded Jimmy Butler. And so, I think the DeMar DeRozan situation will be revisited, and I think that they have plenty of things that are of interest for the Sacramento Kings.”
It was also mentioned that the Kings have suggested to agents around the league that there is a real possibility that they will end up with a pick in the early 20s in the upcoming draft (as reported by NBA insider Jake Fischer), and the Heat currently hold the No. 20 overall pick.
Durant has seemingly been on Miami’s radar for a while now, as the team has been linked to him multiple times before.
He’s set to turn 37 years old in September but remains one of the NBA’s premier scorers at his advanced age, as he averaged 26.6 points per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 43.0 percent from 3-point range across 62 contests played in the 2024-25 regular season.
DeRozan isn’t the gifted all-around scorer that Durant is, but he stands out as a solid option for the Heat if they can’t reel in a big fish of Durant’s caliber. The Heat evidently have multiple backup plans this offseason. DeRozan still averaged 22-plus points per game with the Kings this season and would be in the running as Miami’s best offensive player.
Whether it’s by adding Durant or DeRozan, hopefully the Heat can address their need for a de facto scoring option one way or another this offseason. It’s hard to imagine the Heat will get out of NBA purgatory next season without making a move for a gifted scorer.