3 Offense-saving scorers the Heat can poach from conference rivals

There were several problems with this past season’s Miami Heat team. For starters, the injury bug never went away, from the start of the year all the way until the playoffs. Core guys including Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier were unable to appear in any of Miami’s first-round games against the Boston Celtics.

But another major problem was the team’s offense, which ranked 21st -- near the bottom of the league -- in offensive rating. The team lacked scoring, which is a surprise for a roster that sports names like Butler, Rozier, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Rozier was supposed to fix the lack of scoring in the backcourt once the team traded for him prior to the deadline, but it took more time than expected to integrate him into the system and then he struggled with injuries.

Herro and Adebayo have offensive potential but shouldn't be relied on as top-scoring options. Herro dealt with his own injury issues and appeared in just 42 games this season. Butler is absolutely that go-to scoring option, but only around postseason time at a consistent rate. He is also going into his age-35 season, and will need some help with the scoring load.

It will take some contract maneuvering in the trade market because of the Heat’s cap space situation, but there are a few scorers that Miami can poach from conference rivals in the East.

DeMar DeRozan

After surviving a season of trade rumors, Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan is set to hit free agency this summer. At 34, this will most likely be DeRozan’s last big contract. Regardless of him getting up there in age, this is still one of the league’s best offensive talents.

The multi-time All-Star is coming off season averages of 24.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds on .48/.33/.85 shooting splits. DeRozan is still a mid-range master and his efficiency in getting to the free-throw line remains an impactful part of his game. He can still take over games offensively and provide much-needed scoring and star power in the lineup. 

Although DeRozan is a streaky 3-point shooter, his fit with Jimmy Butler could be better than expected considering Butler is coming off a career-high 41.4% shooting from deep. Both players still have plenty of high-level basketball left in the tank and have elite IQs. A pairing could help take the scoring load off of each player for their respective teams heading into next season.

However, signing DeRozan will be difficult. The Heat are essentially operating as a second luxury tax apron team and won't have anything more than veteran minimum contracts available to sign free agents. To acquire DeRozan, the Heat would first have to shed enough salary beforehand to make a sign-and-trade possible.