The Miami Heat finished the 2024-25 season as the eighth seed. They made the playoffs through the play-in but got spanked in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. For a team that wants to play late in May and probably June, that was not acceptable. Miami entered the summer with a plan to land an All-Star, and they are among the teams asking for Kevin Durant. However, it looks like they have another All-Star as a contingency plan if they fail on Durant, and his name is DeMar DeRozan.
Miami Heat Have An All-Star Target if They Miss on Kevin Durant
According to the latest reports, the Miami Heat might pivot to DeMar DeRozan if they miss on KD. James Ham, a Sacramento Kings reporter, said the Heat could show interest in DeRozan if they don’t land Durant.
The Miami Heat are expected to show interest in DeMar DeRozan if they don’t land Kevin Durant, per @James_HamNBA
The Kings have been telling agents there’s a ‘high possibility’ they could pick early in the 20s — Miami owns pick 20
pic.twitter.com/9Mx8DcrpA8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 18, 2025
The Kings do not have a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Due to a previous trade, their pick went to the Atlanta Hawks. However, after trading De’Aaron Fox and finishing outside of the playoffs, the Kings might need to do a soft rebuild. For the Heat, DeRozan would bring clutch scoring and another offensive weapon. But first things first, who will win the Durant sweepstakes?
Can the Heat Land KD?
Right now, the Miami Heat have jumped up as the favorite to land Durant. A few days ago, they were the third favored team behind the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. According to the latest odds, Miami is tied for first place with the Rockets at +250. The Spurs are third at +350, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors.
The Heat so far have been reluctant to include Kel’El Ware in a potential KD trade. That is one of the reasons why a deal hasn’t been done. Miami has players that they can combine to make up the salary of Durant. But to incentivize the Phoenix Suns, they need draft capital and young players with potential.
While they probably cannot make a deal for KD without including Ware, they can easily swing one for DeRozan. The Kings will probably look to shed salary and get away from DeMar’s contract. He has two more years at $24.5 and $25.7 million left on his contract. An expiring salary matching that and a first-round pick will probably satisfy the Kings.
Do the Miami Heat Need DeMar DeRozan?
The Miami Heat are one of the few teams that can withstand DeMar’s reluctance to shoot from behind the arc. Last season, they were 12th in three-point frequency, and 13th in three-point efficiency. Miami has always been able to find shooters outside of the first round and for cheap salaries. For example, during their run to the 2023 Finals, some of their best shooters were Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and Caleb Martin. All three were undrafted players who eventually got a good contract thanks to their time in Miami.
What DeRozan brings to Miami is clutch play. While he gets most of his shots from mid-range, he finished second to Stephen Curry in the 2023-24 season, and third in the 2022-23 season.
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