What is the future of DeMar DeRozan with the Miami Heat?
The Miami Heat are faced with a plethora of choices at Thursday’s trade deadline, including whether or not to acquire a star.
One popular name mentioned in deadline discussions is Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan. The six-time All-Star is averaging 22 points and 5.4 assists on 46.5 percent shooting and 33.1 percent from the arc.
“DeMar DeRozan, his future, either he’s going to get traded at this deadline, or they’re going to look into the summer,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania said on ‘Run It Back’. “Or DeMar DeRozan could walk for nothing.”
The Heat and Bulls could perform a swap between Tyler Herro and DeRozan with additional assets if requested. The problem arises from a spacing standpoint within their offense. DeRozan thrives in the midrange and paints much like forward Jimmy Butler, while center Bam Adebayo stays clear of three-point range. However, Butler is improving from the arc, shooting 44.2 percent on 2.2 attempts.
The Heat were solving their scoring issue with guard Terry Rozier, limiting the number of positives to acquiring him. They should focus on finding a frontcourt player for a low asking price on the trade or buyout market, with the exception of Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.
It’s a pressure-loaded point of the regular season for the Heat, as they hold two games above a .500 record.
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How Miami Heat’s Twitter Reacted To Sunday’s Loss To Los Angeles Clippers
Two consecutive wins for the Miami Heat had many fans thinking they were turning the corner.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t continue that against the Los Angeles Clippers, and those bitter feelings stirred back up again.
“[Spoelstra] said they want more games in the mud and they still can’t get it done,” user HeatCulture said. “No adjustments made, offense is still ugly to watch. Jimmy has to go god move to save them and we still haven’t beat a top team this season. Just pathetic at this point.”
Bam Adebayo, who was recently named an All-Star reserve, was at the center of fans’ criticism Sunday night. He finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds but only shot 38 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, Terry Rozier hasn’t had the star production fans were hoping he’d bring upon the trade. He has averaged just 11.7 points on 33 percent shooting from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range. He went 0 of 5 from the arc against Los Angeles.
And of course, Kawhi Leonard continues haunting Miami, notching his 14th consecutive victory against the Heat. That’s not even mentioning his Finals MVP performance to beat them in the 2014 NBA Finals.
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