Despite the long-time connection to each other over the years, the Miami Heat and DeMar DeRozan have never found themselves in the right situation for their paths to cross. However, things may finally be aligning for that to change this summer.
As DeRozan prepares to push for a potential buyout away from the Sacramento Kings, and with the Heat in need of a capable supporting cast around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, the perfect storm could finally be developing for both sides.
There are certainly still a lot of "ifs," ands," and "buts" before this can even become a reality, but there seems to be a path developing for DeRozan to finally land on the Heat.
And in the right situation, this is not the terrible idea that perhaps some Heat fans may think it to be.
Could DeMar DeRozan thrive as a sixth man for the Heat?
I'll reiterate, in the right role, DeRozan could prove to be a value addition for Miami at this point in the offseason. For example, if DeRozan is given a super sixth-man role, how would that be considered a negative addition for a Heat team that is in dire need of productive role players?
It wouldn't. On the other hand, if the Heat are expecting DeRozan to be a starter alongside a projected starting 5 that already has limited shooting, that's an entirely different story.
At that point, it would be fair to question the overall fit. But if DeRozan buys into a sixth-man role and is on the same page with how Erik Spoelstra would use him off the bench, that could end up being a win-win in the long run.
The question is, at what point should the Heat commit to such a scenario, and how patient would DeRozan be willing to be?
If DeRozan is pushing for a buyout now, that means he could be looking to get in the free-agency market before all the money dries up. The Heat, for better or worse, are in no rush to finalize their roster at the moment.
In fact, the trade for Giannis won't be finalized until next week.
The Heat's patience in free agency will keep the DeRozan door open
Furthermore, it appears that the Heat wants to wait out the new LeBron James decision in hopes of him buying the idea of a new big three in Miami alongside Giannis and Bam.
And if the Heat are holding out hope for that scenario, I find it hard to believe that they would want to move quickly on DeRozan. But if the rest of the market dries up, DeRozan would certainly make a lot more sense for the Heat.
At this point in his career, DeRozan could be looking for another opportunity to finally break through for an NBA Championship. Looking across the league's landscape, the Heat are probably the best possible landing spot for DeRozan to try and make that happen.
There's still plenty that needs to be sorted out in free agency, but there appears to be a very realistic path to DeRozan and Miami's paths finally intersecting with one another. And, objectively, it may not be that terrible of a move.
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