It is known that DeMar DeRozan has interest in joining the Miami Heat via sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls, but with the financial constraints Miami has, there are some other teams in play, like the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings.
“Kings have talked to Bulls about DeRozan sign and trade, per source,” Barry Jackson said on X. “Spurs also now another possibility. Despite DeRozan interest in Miami, Heat not in position to give him what he's seeking at this time… Heat will hope opportunity on some player it wants arises this summer.”
Much like last summer with Damian Lillard, it seems the Heat have mutual interest with DeMar DeRozan. It just remains to be seen whether or not they will be able to acquire him. Miami is hoping to add an impact player to help the team climb the Eastern Conference standings next season. After a trip to the NBA Finals in 2023, the Heat lost in the first round to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in 2024.
While it makes sense that the Kings checked in, the Spurs would be an interesting fit for DeRozan, as he would be returning to the place he was dealt to from the Toronto Raptors in the trade for Kawhi Leonard. DeRozan would be an experienced player for Victor Wembanyama and 2024 first-round pick Stephon Castle to lean on. He would also join Chris Paul, who joined the Spurs hoping to help them emerge as a playoff contender for the first time with Victor Wembanyama on the squad.
What would DeMar DeRozan bring to the Spurs?
DeRozan is entering the later stages of his career, as he will be 35 this upcoming season. Still, he is an effective player and would be an interesting fit with Wembanyama. In 79 games last season, DeRozan averaged 24 points with 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game, according to Basketball Reference. He shot 48 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 50.9 percent from two.
Of course, DeRozan is known for his midrange game. Hid two point shooting percentage indicates that he can still bring that to a team. The Spurs would be a tough guard with DeRozan a threat in the midrange and Wembanyama a threat on the inside. The two would undoubtedly be able to play off of each other.
DeRozan would bring another guard to the Spurs, and while they will undoubtedly want to give Stephon Castle significant playing time, it would not put the pressure on him to start right away in his NBA career. Castle views himself as a point guard, and he could come off of the bench for Chris Paul and potentially play with DeRozan for some minutes.
That would be a great learning experience for Castle in his first year, learning behind Paul and playing with a veteran like DeRozan.
It will be interesting to see if the noise with the Spurs and DeRozan picks up. He played in San Antonio from 2018-2021 before signing with the Bulls ahead of the 2021-22 season. He would have the role of helping the young team develop if does end up there.