The Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings are two teams that seem to be stuck in purgatory. Neither team is good enough to compete for the championship, and it is unlikely that either would even win a playoff series as currently constructed. Neither team is bad enough to select near the top of the NBA Draft, either. Both teams were in the Play-in Tournament this year, and they both need to make a decision on the direction of their franchises.
The Heat will likely look to build upon what they currently have, while the Kings seem more likely to blow things up. This could actually lead to the two doing business together, as the Kings could trade DeMar DeRozan to the Heat.
Heat trade proposal for DeMar DeRozan
Heat receive: DeMar DeRozan
Kings receive: Terry Rozier, two second-round picks
ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel has reported that the Heat have interest in DeRozan. Ever since they traded away Jimmy Butler, it has been clear that the team has needed another star. While DeRozan is 35 years old and his best days are in the rearview, he still has something left in the tank. He also shouldn’t be too expensive to acquire.
Article Continues BelowDeRozan’s contract is actually cheaper than Terry Rozier’s (per Spotrac), so the Heat would cut costs and get off of a bad contract in this trade hypothetical. DeRozan is also a massive upgrade over the Miami guard who struggled mightily late last season. The USC product averaged 22.2 points per game last season, which was his 12th straight season averaging 20-plus points per game.
The mid-range specialist would complement Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro well. Adebayo is a beast in the paint and one of the best passing centers in the NBA. Herro can score from all three levels, but he is especially deadly from deep. While a DeRozan deal might not get the Heat into contention status, there wouldn’t be much harm in trading for him because he is on a fair contract, and the Heat would give up next to nothing in this deal to get him.
Would the Kings trade away DeMar DeRozan?
Somehow, the Kings ended up with a roster that looks eerily familiar to the Chicago Bulls teams that never worked out. Zach LaVine and DeRozan only made the playoffs together once in Chicago, but now the Kings are relying on them to lead the way. This duo is flawed, as both players lack on the defensive end and when it comes to playmaking. At least one, if not both, needs to go.
DeRozan doesn’t hold a lot of trade value, but the Kings would be smart to ship him for draft capital, even if it is just a couple of second-round picks. And while Rozier is regressing in his own right, he at least plays the point guard position. The Kings are desperate for a lead ball handler who can get his teammates involved.
This would be a necessary step in starting a rebuilding process, and starting over from scratch makes sense for the Kings. The Western Conference is getting better and better, and the team will likely need to reset before they can truly compete with their conference rivals. DeRozan will likely be the first to go, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if LaVine and/or Domantas Sabonis were traded. Both of those players carry more trade value than DeRozan does.
