Sports
Heat Must Trade for Bulls' DeMar DeRozan Amid NBA Rumors Involving Lakers, Knicks – Bleacher Report
If you are not already exhausted by all of the trade rumors encircling the Chicago Bulls, there are plenty more where those came from.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that star power forward DeMar DeRozan’s trade preferences are fairly well-known. “When it comes to possible destinations, the Heat and Knicks are known to be preferable to DeRozan if he winds up getting moved.”
Perhaps even more so than even Zach LaVine or Alex Caruso, who are also up for grabs for any potential suitor, DeRozan figures to be moved ahead of the deadline because he is still producing at a high level.
DeRozan is averaging 21.5 points a game, is shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and 37.5 from beyond the arc, as well as 3.3 rebounds per game and 4.9 assists in 35.4 minutes a night.
Of the two teams that he would most like to be traded to, it is the Heat that would benefit most from acquiring him.
The team would likely have to give up a quality starter, perhaps Tyler Herro, who had been attached to trade discussions for Damian Lillard during the off-season, but DeRozan would instantly improve the team at the power forward position.
Neither Haywood Highsmith or Jamie Jacquez Jr. have come close to DeRozan’s production and while there would have to be some chemistry building going on in the middle of the season and that is almost never preferred, the long-term advantages of dealing for DeRozan would be worth it.
The Heat are currently in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference and would be holding on for their playoff lives if the season were to end today. They need another star to play alongside Jimmy Butler and take some of the pressure off of him. They also need depth considering how Highsmith, Herro, and Bam Adebayo are all currently either out or day-to-day.
DeRozan is a player who can takeover games and win them, something he has proven over the course of his career and even with the monumentally disappointing Bulls. He wants to compete for a title and is a guy that can contribute significantly to a team that needs to be able to hang with teams like Milwaukee, Philadelphia, New York, and a surprisingly hot Orlando squad in the Eastern Conference.
It will become harder to do that if Butler is the sole driving force.
Bringing DeRozan in now, especially amid Amick’s report that the Knicks and Lakers are also interested, letting him get acquainted to Erik Spolstra’s system, and reaping the rewards this spring is the right move and will ensure that the Heat at least have a chance to get back to the NBA Finals for the second season in a row.