The Miami Heat are expected to be active in the offseason and want to continue building their roster around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Pat Riley is always lurking in the background, looking for All-Stars on the market, either in free agency or on the trade block. DeMar DeRozan might be the perfect fit.
The biggest name they could grab is Kevin Durant, but DeRozan might be Miami’s most realistic target, at least according to ClutchPoints’ own Brett Siegel. DeRozan makes a lot of sense if they miss on Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo as a much-needed All-Star piece on the roster.
It seems likely that DeRozan is one of the most notable trade targets this offseason due to the Kings making a three-team trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento, while also sending De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs and Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and a first-round pick were sent to the Chicago Bulls. His former Chicago teammate joined DeRozan after being acquired in a sign-and-trade last summer.
The Kings are a franchise that feels stuck. They managed to sneak into the play-in tournament with this roster, but they still have some uncertainty because Fox did everything for them but was dissatisfied with the franchise’s direction. DeRozan and LaVine are All-Star-level talents, but they have not proven themselves capable of taking games over and dragging teams to the postseason, which is something Fox did in comparison.
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The question is whether the Kings are going to embark on a full-on rebuild and trade not only DeRozan and LaVine but also Domantas Sabonis.
Siegel writes that Miami must include Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier, and Andrew Wiggins in a trade. They also have a few picks they could include in a trade. A trade with DeRozan would consist of at least one of those two players.
The lesson is never to count out Pat Riley when making splashy moves in the offseason. It helps that he runs a Heat organization based in Miami, Florida, but he is a master of pulling off moves to help the team. He was one of the principal architects behind creating the Big Three era, which included signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Even before that, he helped engineer a massive trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to Miami.
Pat Riley and the Heat making a move for DeMar DeRozan would be a first step in getting back into contention in the Eastern Conference.
