As the first week of 2024 NBA free agency continues, the dominoes continue to fall.
Paul George left the Los Angeles Clippers and is now living in Philadelphia, Klay Thompson said goodbye to his Splash Brother Stephen Curry and joined the Dallas Mavericks, and the bottom-ranked Detroit Pistons gave Tobias Harris a big contract.
One of the best players remaining on the free agent market is 34-year-old forward DeMar DeRozan, who just completed his 15th NBA season and third with the Chicago Bulls. DeRozan remains a top-tier scorer, averaging 24.0 points per game last season and finishing in the top three in Clutch Player of the Year Award voting each of the past two seasons.
But DeRozan may not get the big offer he craves in free agency. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that new salary cap rules mean teams cannot offer DeRozan the three-year contract he's seeking. Wojnarowski suggested DeRozan might be better off signing a one-year deal and waiting for the market to reset next summer.
So which team should sign DeRozan this summer? Let's take a look:
The Heat continue their never-ending efforts to lure another star free agent to South Beach to pair with Jimmy Butler. Pat Riley and company received the bad news on Tuesday that one of the Heat's newest star targets, Donovan Mitchell, has agreed to a three-year max contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
DeRozan wouldn't help rejuvenate the Heat, but he would give Miami another scoring option with Jimmy Butler in the final year of his contract before he hits free agency next summer.
DeRozan and the Heat have mutual interest. Miami HeraldBut as of Tuesday, the Heat were only able to offer DeRozan a $5.2 million mid-level exception or veteran minimum contract, far less than DeRozan is seeking.
The Lakers were unsuccessful in their bid to acquire Thompson, and the Splash Brother reportedly asked for less money to sign with the Mavericks.
So, what should we do? Athletic On Tuesday, it was reported that DeRozan is a target for the Lakers' mid-level exception or a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls. AthleticDeRozan is on a shortlist of players hoping to free up salary cap space in LeBron James' upcoming contract to reduce his salary in order to stay in Los Angeles.
DeRozan, who grew up in Compton, California, and played college basketball at the University of Southern California, has mentioned in the past the possibility of returning to his hometown to play for the Lakers, but would he be willing to accept anything less? Or do the Lakers have the assets to complete a sign-and-trade with Chicago?
For those of you who don't know, the Clippers are opening a new arena next season, and Paul George will not be playing in the season opener at the Intuit Dome after agreeing to a contract with the 76ers.
But the Clippers have two aging stars in James Harden and Kawhi Leonard who can still perform at a high level. DeRozan fits the bill and could fill the void left by George. Los Angeles could clear some cap space by trading Russell Westbrook, which they've been rumored to be trying to do this offseason. A sign-and-trade is also possible.
The Warriors something If they want to compete in the final few years of Curry's tenure in the Bay Area, they need to do so this offseason.
Golden State couldn't find a trade partner for Chris Paul this offseason, acquiring franchise legend Thompson for just two second-round picks in a three-team sign-and-trade. The Warriors signed De'Anthony Melton on Monday, a good move, but a starting lineup of Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green feels like a play-in tournament roster at best.
The Warriors may explore a trade for Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, but DeRozan is a cheaper option that would allow them to keep Kuminga, a coveted 21-year-old forward. Signing DeRozan to a cheap, one-year deal could allow Golden State to hold off on a big move until next season.
