NBA All-Star Held "Legitimate" Interest In Signing With Miami Heat

DeMar DeRozan said he considered five teams including the Miami Heat, before deciding on the Sacramento Kings.

Apr 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) passes the basketball against the Miami Heat in the second quarter during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

New Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan said the Miami Heat were one of the finalists in the sweepstakes to get his services when he was a free agent this summer.

Appearing on Podcast P with Paul George, DeRozan said the Heat were one of five teams he was considering after leaving the Chicago Bulls.

"I was thinking about Philly. Philly was definitely an option, Lakers was an option, always. Clippers was an option and the Heat was an option," DeRozan said. "I said those teams for sure were all personal legitimate personal options I was considering."

The Heat are under salary restrictions as they are up against the second apron. They needed to dump salary to sign DeRozan. The alternative was him taking a massive pay cut.

Last season the Kings ended a long playoff drought under coach Mike Brown, which is one of the main reasons DeRozan chose Sacramento.

"That's definitely one thing you always want to be a part of, is a contagious culture of an organization that wants to win," DeRozan said. "When I looked at all that, I just felt like it was a fit. It was a big key piece that I felt like I could bring from a leadership standpoint that could kind of push us over the edge. It became more and more appealing as I weighed it."

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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