According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps, DeMar DeRozan is set to move to Sacramento in a three-year, $74 million sign-and-trade deal.
The deal sends DeRozan to the Kings, who are shaping up to be serious contenders in the crowded Western Conference, but it costs both the Lakers and Heat a chance to make the championship push they hoped for this offseason.
DeRozan averaged 24 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 37.8 minutes per game last season while shooting 48% from the paint and 33.3% from three-point range.
He was one of two bright spots on a disappointingly mediocre Chicago Bulls team, but despite insisting he wanted to return, he plans to continue his career elsewhere.
The Heat need another bona fide star in addition to Jimmy Butler and will need at least one more forward with Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith both potentially leaving in free agency.
New Orleans' Brandon Ingram is also an option, but finding a way to make that deal possible would be tough given the veteran forward's $36 million salary cap hit through the 2024-25 season.
But the team has just over $5 million in space under the second cap apron, per Spotrac, and would not have been able to honor the contract DeRozan signed before the trade.
The Lakers benefited from LeBron James' salary cut in hopes that the team would have a huge offseason success, but that didn't happen.
They also needed a forward who could bolster the team and help it compete with Denver, Minnesota and Dallas in the West.
With DeRozan off the market, they will likely be forced to turn to Portland's Jeremy Grant, who they have been rumored to have interest in for some time.
Regardless of who both teams are able to attract at this point, the offseason has to be considered a major disappointment for the fan base.
Naturally, both teams were looking for an impact player who could give their team the final push they needed to become legitimate contenders in their respective conferences.
Instead, they'll likely settle for role players who can strengthen the stars they already have.
Whether that's enough to bring the Larry O'Brien Award trophy back to Miami or Los Angeles remains to be seen, but on paper it looks like two powerhouse organizations have lost out to other teams around the league and will have to go their separate ways to get a shot at a championship that has eluded them in recent years.
