As the Miami Heat begin to explore a few possible Plan B options after losing out on Kevin Durant, it does sound like the fan base may have already dodged a huge bullet. At least for now, it doesn't appear as if the Heat are exploring the option of trading for DeMar DeRozan, a move that many would've identified as a short-sighted mistake for the Heat.
According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, despite the recent whispers, the Heat have not discussed a possible trade for DeMar DeRozan with the Sacramento Kings. If that is indeed true, it should bring a sigh of relief for Heat fans who are concerned about what may lie ahead for the franchise after missing out on KD.
Even though it's been just 24 hours since the Heat fans' hearts were ripped through their chest once again, it'd be an even bigger mistake, and greater disservice to the fan base, if the front office turned around and made a irresponsible move for a veteran player that won't raise the team's ceiling at all.
DeRozan is not the right fit for the Heat
That's exactly what an acquisition for DeRozan would be. While he still may be a good player at this late stage of his career, there's no evidence that he'd make much of a difference for the Heat. To be quite honest, that may say more about the Heat than it does about DeRozan. He's just not the right fit for Miami.
There's probably a scenario in which DeRozan would make sense for a contending team; the Heat just aren't there. They don't have a championship roster, and an addition of DeRozan won't change that. Such a move would be short-sighted and would add another big contract to their 2026-27 books.
It's not even just the salary that the Heat would need to absorb for the 2026-27 season, but also the likelihood that they would have to add future draft capital or one of their young prospects to get a deal done. For the Heat, and where they currently are as a team, trading for DeRozan would likely do more harm than good.
The hope is that the Heat's front office understands that. If the recent reporting is accurate, at least for now, it does seem as if Miami isn't interested in making such a short-term move. That could end up changing as we get deeper into the offseason, but it'd certainly be a tough sell for the fan base.