DeMar DeRozan is back on the market, and the early buzz is pointing toward two familiar contenders: Miami and Cleveland.
The Sacramento Kings waived DeRozan on Monday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, ending his run in Sacramento after just two seasons. The Kings had brought in the former All-NBA forward in a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs during the 2024 offseason, but now he’s headed into free agency.
That’s where the chase begins. DeRozan is expected to draw interest from contending teams, and Matt George of Sactown Sports 1140 said Monday night that the Heat and Cavaliers have been the two clubs most often tied to him.
"The two teams that we seem to hear the most chatter about in terms of potential landing destinations for DeMar DeRozan, 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," George said on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube channel." Of course, we've always heard LA ties, right?
He is from LA, from Compton, very much a Los Angeles guy. So, 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."
George also brought up both Los Angeles teams as possible destinations, though ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said the Lakers are not in the market for DeRozan.
Miami’s fit is easy to see. The Heat could use another three-level scorer who can create his own shot and keep the offense humming, and DeRozan checks that box.
Cleveland, meanwhile, is still being linked to LeBron James, who the Cavs are reportedly favored to land. If that doesn’t happen, DeRozan would give them a strong fallback option, bringing scoring, playoff experience and wing production to a group that would include Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, who is expected to re-sign with the team at some point this summer.
DeRozan remains a productive player at 36. He averaged 18.4 points per game in 2025 and has played more than 70 games in each of the last five years. With that kind of durability and a track record that still carries weight, he should have no shortage of suitors as free agency unfolds.
In Other News...
Clippers Tried To Get Rui Hachimura On Terms Fans Will Hate
Rui Hachimuras value never looked higher than it did after a strong 2025-26 season with the Lakers, when he gave them real scoring punch and reliable three-point shooting, then carried that touch into the playoffs. Once Los Angeles was bounced, the Lakers at least explored ways to keep some control over the situation, and the possibility of a sign-and-trade quickly became part of the conversation around one of the more useful wings on the market.
The wrinkle came when the Clippers entered the picture and tried to work out a deal with their Staples Center tenant, but the sides never found common ground. With the framework falling apart, the Lakers did not cooperate on a sign-and-trade, leaving Hachimuras future to be decided in a different lane and turning a local rivalry into one more reminder of how quickly a players market can shift after a playoff run. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Face Real Tension Around Peyton Watsons Future
The Clippers offseason work has already taken a notable turn with the addition of Rui Hachimura, but that does not necessarily mean they are done looking at ways to reshape the roster. One name still hanging around the edges of their plans is Denver restricted free agent Peyton Watson, who remains a player of interest in the broader market as teams continue sorting through the last pockets of available talent.
Brooklyn has been floated only as a conceptual suitor for Watson, not an active bidder, which leaves the field a little murkier than it first appears. And with other free agents such as Larry Nance Jr., Georges Niang and Lonnie Walker IV drawing attention around the league, the Clippers interest in Watson sits in a crowded and shifting landscape where sign-and-trade mechanics, cap math and possible draft compensation could all end up mattering more than the initial buzz. [Read more 🡒]