The Washington Wizards have at least kicked the tires on DeMar DeRozan, but that doesn’t mean this is headed anywhere.
Shams Charania reported that Washington is among the teams that have had conversations with the 37-year-old wing over the last several days. Miami, Denver and Cleveland are also in the mix, which tells you DeRozan still has a real market. The bigger question is whether the Wizards are actually the right fit.
On paper, DeRozan gives Washington a safety net. If the worst-case scenario hits and the team loses five players to injury at once, he could help keep things from completely unraveling for a stretch of about 10 games and keep the Wizards in the playoff picture. But the flip side is just as obvious: if his game slips further, he could drag the team down during that same kind of stretch.
There’s also the role issue. DeRozan may not be interested in a situation where he isn’t even the 10th-best player on the roster.
His minutes would be tough to find in Washington, and the other teams linked to him seem to offer cleaner paths to playing time. Denver needs depth and could use him as one of the first options off the bench.
Miami could use that kind of help too. Cleveland has interest as well, though not to the same degree as the Heat or Nuggets.
Washington can point to one possible upside: what DeRozan could mean for the younger wings. Kyshawn George could pick up some offensive tricks from him, especially in terms of getting to his spots in the mid-range. Will Riley could benefit from that veteran know-how too.
Still, the drawbacks are hard to ignore. DeRozan doesn’t really solve a position need, and the Wizards already addressed the veteran mentor angle by trading for Khris Middleton. The one spot they could actually use help is backup point guard, which leaves DeRozan without a clear lane on the roster.
That’s why he doesn’t look like one of the stronger free-agent options for Washington. Russell Westbrook and Gary Payton II fit more urgent needs.
Unless DeRozan is promised playing time, he probably isn’t coming to Washington anyway. For now, Denver and Miami make far more sense for him than the Wizards do, and it sounds like Will Dawkins may end up turning his attention to another free agent, specifically a point guard.
In Other News...
Wizards May Have Changed A Superstar's Summer By Holding Firm On Davis
The Wizards refusal to budge on Anthony Davis may have done more than keep a prized big man in Washington. During the recent free agency period, Golden State had interest in chasing LeBron James, but its path to doing so ran through a Davis trade that never got off the ground, and that obstacle helped shape how the rest of the market unfolded.
General manager Will Dawkins made clear Washington intended to keep Davis, and the asking price reportedly sat so high that it complicated Golden States plans from the start. With the Warriors unable to make that move, one of the leagues biggest summer pursuits lost momentum, leaving Washingtons stance on Davis with ripple effects well beyond its own roster. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Contender Plan May Come Down To One AJ Dybantsa Question
Washingtons long-range math is already shaping the way the front office is being judged, because the pieces around AJ Dybantsa and Trae Young are supposed to turn a promising core into something much bigger. Dybantsa arrived as a top draft pick with real scoring polish and the kind of upside that can change a franchises trajectory, but the Wizards also know that raw talent only goes so far if the floor stays crowded. For a team trying to climb into the Eastern Conference picture, the jumper is no longer a side note. It is part of the plan.
Anthony Davis gives Washington a second star, but he also underscores the concern that hangs over the roster construction. The Wizards are betting on enough shot-making and enough spacing to make the whole thing work, yet there are real questions about how many of their best players can consistently stretch defenses. Dybantsas development from dangerous scorer to reliable perimeter threat may end up being the swing skill, and the answer to that question could determine whether Washingtons contender talk is realistic or just premature optimism. [Read more 🡒]
DeMar DeRozan Rumors Just Reignited A Big Wizards Debate
DeMar DeRozan is back on the market after reaching a buyout agreement with the Sacramento Kings, and that has naturally pulled Washington back into the conversation. The Wizards have been linked to him as one of several teams with interest, a list that also includes Cleveland, Miami and Denver, which gives this a familiar free-agent feel: a proven scorer available at the exact moment a rebuilding team is trying to decide how aggressive it wants to be.
For Washington, the appeal is easy to see. DeRozan would bring veteran steadiness to a roster built around younger pieces, and he could give the Wizards a more credible nightly scoring option while they keep trying to raise the teams overall competitiveness. The question now is whether the front office sees him as the kind of short-term addition that helps the group take a real step forward, or whether the market pushes this into a tougher decision than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]