The Miami Heat had their eyes on LeBron James for most of free agency, and they believed they were in the mix until the very end. At 41, James sat atop the market for nearly a month before making his call.
Last weekend, the four-time NBA champion chose to keep playing with the Philadelphia 76ers instead.
“LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced Friday,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote. “James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania.”
Once James was off the board, Miami moved fast and shifted its focus to DeMar DeRozan. The 17-year veteran has emerged as the Heat’s fallback target, and the interest is real on both sides.
“The Heat and Warriors have been in recent contact with DeMar DeRozan. A fallback option in free agency for the hopeful LeBron finalists emerges. DeRozan would sign with a title-contender at the veteran’s minimum,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
DeRozan has become the leading alternative for several teams that were waiting on James, but Miami looks like the strongest landing spot. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line pointed to the long-running connection between the sides and said the Heat may be the clearest fit.
“Miami Heat have been a Derozan landing spot for years now, there’s been so much connectivity between him and the Heat and I do think the Heat seem to be the most likely scenario for DeMar DeRozan right now…Miami is probably his best bet…those other spots really don’t have spending power,” The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer said.
Miami still needs more scoring as free agency rolls on, and DeRozan would bring exactly that. He remains one of the league’s best mid-range scorers, which gives the Heat a real offensive lift if they can close the deal.
His defense has always been the tradeoff, but Miami already has elite defenders in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, and Davion Mitchell to help cover that side of the floor.
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