The Cleveland Cavaliers have already made one major move this week, locking Donovan Mitchell into a four-year extension worth $273 million. But they may not be done adding firepower.
DeMar DeRozan is suddenly back on the market after the Sacramento Kings waived him on Monday, and the chatter around his next stop is already picking up. DeRozan had been pushing to get out of Sacramento after a two-year run, and the Kings’ attempts to trade the veteran guard never produced a deal. Now that he’s headed toward free agency, the fit elsewhere looks a lot more realistic.
On “The Matt George Podcast,” Cleveland and Miami were identified as the two teams generating the most buzz for the six-time All-Star.
“The two teams that we seem to hear the most chatter about in terms of potential landing destinations for DeMar DeRozan are the Miami Heat, who of course just traded for Giannis (Antetokounmpo), and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are a team I long thought could use the services of DeMar, especially in that second unit off of the bench,” said George.
That Cavaliers connection gets even more interesting with LeBron James still in the free agency mix. Cleveland is pursuing James, and DeRozan’s friendship with the four-time MVP could make him a useful extra piece in that conversation.
Miami is in the same picture, too. James is also being chased by the Heat, and the 41-year-old forward has already played for both Cleveland and Miami.
George also pointed to a possible homecoming for DeRozan, who is from Los Angeles and Compton.
“He is from LA, from Compton, very much a Los Angeles guy. We’ve always talked about the possibility of DeMar going home. Whether it’s the LA Clippers or the LA Lakers, it seems like the Clippers would be the more likely out of the two,” said George.
James has also played for the Lakers.
DeRozan finished his Kings stint averaging 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
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