RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. DeMar DeRozan was waived by the Sacramento Kings on July 6, making the six-time NBA All-Star one of the top available free agents. Since then, several contenders around the league have been linked to him, and in recent days that list has been narrowed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets — three teams that were also in the LeBron James sweepstakes. The future Hall of Famer surprisingly chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers instead on a two-year, $8 million deal.
Other teams have been mentioned as ones to watch for DeRozan, including the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers. But one team nobody had talked about — until now — is the Washington Wizards.
On Tuesday's episode of "NBA Today," ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Wizards have had talks with DeRozan over the last week as it looks to build around its young core and emerge as one of the sneaky-best teams in the Eastern Conference next season.
"He's a player that the Cavaliers are among a few teams that have interest in, Miami and Denver also pursuing DeMar DeRozan. But one new team over the last several days that has had conversations with DeMar DeRozan is the Washington Wizards," Charania said. "You think about a team that's clearly trying to compete around Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and AJ Dybantsa. We'll see where that goes."
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DeRozan is 36 years old and may not be the superstar he once was — the version that earned him second-team All-NBA honors in 2018 and 2022 — but he's still one of the best mid-range scorers in the league and has proven to perform at a high level in clutch situations.
Even with the Kings last year, he appeared in 77of 82 games and averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.7% from the field. That's high efficiency on a high volume of shots for a player that doesn't need to be the first or second option on an offense to thrive.
Adding DeRozan to what the Wizards have already built might just be enough to put this team over the top and make them even more dangerous. Washington acquired both Young and Davis earlier this year — two multi-time All-Stars — and used the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to take Dybantsa, widely viewed as a potential generational talent.
They've got depth beyond that too, with ascending young pieces like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, and Bub Carrington, alongside established veterans like Deandre Ayton and Khris Middleton.
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With a rotation that deep, DeRozan might be asked to come off the bench — something he may not be willing to do. But there's no question a team like that can compete in the East, which might be enough to entice a player who has yet to win an NBA championship.
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