RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesHeat predicted to sign $305M Future Hall of Famer, 6x All-Star to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The Miami Heat set the tone for their offseason when they acquired Milwaukee Bucks franchise star and NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo. That move gave Miami the confidence to pursue LeBron James, but ultimately, a deal never came together.
Since then, the Heat have shifted their focus toward building out the rest of the roster. One veteran they have shown interest in is six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan.
“Miami Heat have been a Derozan landing spot for years now, there's been so much connectivity between him and the Heat and I do think the Heat seem to be the most likely scenario for DeMar DeRozan right now…Miami is probably his best bet…those other spots really don't have spending power," The Stein Line's Jake Fischer said.
Miami is not the only contender interested in adding DeRozan. Several teams around the league have been monitoring the veteran scorer and his ability to create offense, including the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers .
“I'm told Miami, Denver, and Cleveland are among the teams interested in DeMar DeRozan… There is a player out west that is overlapping with DeRozan as far as interest from teams," ESPN's Shams Charania said.
There is little doubt that DeRozan wants to spend the final years of his career competing for a championship. SI’s Geo Valdez believes the Heat are the team most likely to land him.
“He and the Heat have reportedly shared mutual interest for years, dating back to before Sacramento acquired him. DeRozan averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season on 49.7% shooting across 77 games. In an era where availability is one of the scarcest resources in basketball, DeRozan has been an iron man deep into his thirties. He’s also the last of the great mid-range artisans and a player whose entire game lives in the exact area of the floor that playoff defenses concede when they’re busy building a wall around a downhill superstar,” Valdez wrote.
A DeRozan-to-Miami partnership makes plenty of sense after years of the two sides being connected. His ability to consistently create offense is exactly the type of skill set the Heat are missing alongside their current stars.
DeRozan has earned $305 million in contracts throughout his career and is widely viewed as a future Hall of Famer. Adding a player of his caliber alongside Bam Adebayo and Antetokounmpo would give Miami another proven scorer as it looks to compete at the highest level.
More NBA news:
Lakers predicted to trade $7M historic guard for ex-Warriors NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga
Cavaliers reportedly in bidding war with Bucks, Clippers for $11M athletic 3-and-D NBA champion
Warriors predicted to flip Jimmy Butler for $298M Hall of Fame shooter, athletic frontcourt duo
Lakers' Luka Doncic reportedly pushing for reunion with $88M versatile 3-and-D former teammate
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