The Miami Heat have spent plenty of years adding stars who were still in their prime, but DeMar DeRozan would be a very different kind of swing.
That’s the real question hanging over Miami’s reported interest: is a 36-year-old future Hall of Famer still the right fit? DeRozan was once among the league’s most dangerous scorers, first with the Toronto Raptors and later with the Chicago Bulls, which is exactly why he was always on the Heat’s radar when he was younger. Now the age factor is impossible to ignore.
Last season with the Sacramento Kings, DeRozan still produced more than 18 points per game. For Miami, that kind of output would matter. The idea would be for him to slide in as the No. 3 scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
But that plan only works if Adebayo embraces a bigger offensive burden. He would need to become a consistent No. 2 scorer, something he has never really done since high school.
At Kentucky, Adebayo was surrounded by stars and leaned on mostly for defense. The same pattern followed him in Miami, where he’s already had Goran Dragic, Butler or Tyler Herro carrying more of the scoring load.
For the past two seasons, Herro and Adebayo shared the lead role. With Herro now in Milwaukee playing for the Bucks because he was part of the Antetokounmpo trade, Adebayo has to step into that secondary scoring spot.
If that doesn’t happen, then bringing in DeRozan doesn’t make much sense. He’s not the 22-to-25-points-per-night player he once was. But if Miami can use him as a third option, the Heat could at least put themselves in the mix with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference.
In Other News...
Heat Face A Sneaky Roster Decision After The Giannis Trade
The Heats post-Giannis roster picture is still settling, and the biggest immediate concern may not be the star power at the top but the depth underneath it. With the bench thinned out and a few openings still to work with, Miami has a chance to add someone who can help stabilize the back end of the roster while fitting the way the team likes to develop talent.
That search appears to be headed toward the two-way market, where Miami has room to be selective about both upside and readiness. The franchise is weighing options who have recent pro or summer-league experience and the kind of profile that could make sense on a team trying to keep its rotation flexible, even after a blockbuster move reshaped the entire roster. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Have One Big Giannis Problem To Figure Out
Erik Spoelstra is already talking about the sort of adjustment period Miami has to plan for with Giannis Antetokounmpo, because getting a superstar plugged into a new system is never as simple as dropping him into the lineup and letting the talent sort itself out. The Heat are trying to build the right structure around him, and that means thinking not just about usage, but about the supporting cast, the spacing and the habits that let one of the leagues most dominant players do what he does best.
The point guard picture is part of the puzzle, too. Davion Mitchell is projected to open as the starter, with Dru Smith and Tre Donaldson behind him, and Miami is still considering whether to add another guard to help settle things down. With key three-point shooters gone from last season, the Heat also have to find new sources of floor spacing as they try to develop the kind of lineup balance that can make Antetokounmpo comfortable and dangerous over time. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Camp Battle Could Decide Which Young Talent Gets Left Out
Training camp is shaping up as a real sorting exercise for the Heat, with the roster still leaving room for late decisions and a few young players trying to carve out a place. Miami already has 12 players confirmed, and the mix of two-way guys and free agents around the edges means the final spots are going to be earned, not handed out. For a team that tends to value fit, defensive reliability and developmental upside all at once, even a back-end roster battle can carry real weight.
Vlad Goldin, Tre White and others will get evaluated with that in mind, because the Heat are not just filling space, they are trying to decide which player can actually contribute if called upon. The conversation is less about headline names than about which prospect best matches what Miami needs from the last openings on the roster, and the answer could leave one promising young talent on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]