According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Miami Heat’s pursuit of now Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan was held up because teams didn’t want to accept Duncan Robinson in a trade.
“They would’ve loved to get (DeRozan),” Marks says.
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“They tried (hard) as heck to get (DeRozan). Nobody wanted (Robinson), no offense. They have one first-round pick to trade.”
Heat’s Holdup In DeMar DeRozan Trade Revealed
Robinson is coming off of one of his better seasons, averaging 12.9 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 39.5 percent shooting from 3. However, he’s all but a one-trick pony on offense with defensive concerns. The 30-year-old also owed $39.3 million over the next two seasons. As a result, his trade value is understandably low.
To that point, when the San Antonio Spurs helped facilitate the sign-and-trade, they acquired a player who could help them in myriad ways. Harrison Barnes may not be Kawhi Leonard. However, his combination of 3-point prowess, low-post scoring, and on-ball defense is more enticing than Robinson’s relatively one-dimensional impact. His professionalism, experience, and championship experience also benefit the Spurs’ locker room.
With that being said, in order to pay DeRozan the salary he wanted, the Heat would’ve had to trade Terry Rozier or Tyler Herro. Rozier ($24.9 million) and Herro ($29 million) will make a fair bit more than Robinson next season. For comparison, DeRozan will make $24.6 million annually in his new deal.
Was There Another Way?
Both Rozier and Herro should have been able to generate more trade interest than Robinson as they offer more than the stretch-four on both ends while being efficient themselves. Herro’s also younger than Robinson at 24 years old. However, their injury history would’ve depressed their value.
Rozier would’ve been particularly affected by this, as the 30-year-old missed the 2024 NBA Playoffs with a neck injury. Though he’s played off ball for a substantial chunk of his career, the presence of Chris Paul could’ve made him even less appealing to San Antonio. Other teams around the league may have had interest in Rozier, like the Utah Jazz. In his days as the Boston Celtics’ lead executive, Ainge was quite than fan of Rozier. Now that he’s the CEO of the Jazz, Rozier may have been on Utah’s radar.
Nonetheless, the Heat traded for Rozier specifically because they needed a point guard upgrade. DeRozan doesn’t change that. For that reason, it would’ve made more sense for Miami to move Herro. Yet, with teams tip-toeing around the second apron, there are inherent difficulties in doing so.
In the end, without moving Jimmy Butler himself, DeRozan wasn’t destined to make port in South Beach. Of course, if Butler leaves the Heat empty-handed as a free agent in 2025, Miami might look back on this offseason as a missed opportunity. Nonetheless, if they were able to get DeRozan without giving up a star, it would have been a dream scenario.
Unfortunately for the Heat, The Godfather just couldn’t make an offer that couldn’t be refused.
