The Miami Heat’s next move could hinge on a familiar name, but if LeBron James doesn’t end up in South Beach, one recent prediction points them toward a different All-Star: DeMar DeRozan.
After the Heat made the move to add Giannis Antetokounmpo, the conversation around the roster has shifted fast. The cost was steep, but the logic is clear enough - Antetokounmpo is one of the three best players in the NBA, and the kind of talent teams don’t pass up. Giving up a pile of assets for a player at that level is the sort of gamble front offices make without much hesitation.
James remains the bigger swing. There’s still hope the Heat could land him, though nothing is settled, and he has a major decision ahead. But if that path closes, Sports Illustrated’s Ethen Hutton believes Miami could pivot to DeRozan.
“If the Heat miss out on James, DeRozan will likely be brought in to be the No. 3 option behind Antetokounmpo and All-Star big man Bam Adebayo, moving recent free agent pickup Tim Hardaway Jr. to the bench. In a starting role alongside two All-NBA-caliber big men, DeRozan will likely carve out 18-point scoring averages and could add up to five rebounds and five assists to round out his projected stat line. He won’t have the same impact as James from a playmaking perspective, but his scoring consistency is undeniable,” Ethen Hutton wrote.
That’s the pitch: steady scoring, a defined role, and another proven name to slot into a lineup already built around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. But there’s also a basketball fit question baked into it. DeRozan’s game doesn’t come with a three-point shot, and at this point in his career, that makes the fit less seamless next to those two big pieces.
He’s still a good player. That part isn’t in doubt.
The issue is whether he’s the right one to make a major difference in this particular setup. In this case, that’s the real question Miami would have to answer.
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Kevin Durant has naturally surfaced as the kind of name that keeps Miami in the conversation, but the path there looks far steeper than it sounds. With most of the valuable assets already spent in the Giannis deal, another blockbuster would come at a punishing cost, and the sense around the league is that this is not a realistic lane right now. If the Heat want to keep upgrading, they may have to think smaller, whether that means depth, fit, or a different kind of star hunt altogether. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Riley Just Sent Heat Fans A Conflicting Bobby Portis Message
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Portis arrives with a reputation for efficient offense after a season in which he produced 14 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 49% overall and 47% from three. The question for Miami is whether that production can translate into the kind of all-around impact the Heat will need, especially with the defensive concerns that have followed him and are unlikely to disappear just because the jersey changed. [Read more 🡒]