Since the 2019 NBA offseason, the Miami Heat have been aggressive on the trade market, looking for a second superstar to pair with Jimmy Butler. Though they failed to add more star power to their roster, the Heat were linked to several big names before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. One of the superstars that the Heat tried pairing with Butler was DeMar DeRozan of the San Antonio Spurs.
In a recent appearance on ESPN San Antonio’s The Blitz , which is currently posted on YouTube , Jabari Young of CNBC Sports Business revealed that the Heat made a “push” for DeRozan before the 2020 trade deadline.
“During the trade deadline, I was hearing Miami was making a push for DeMar DeRozan,” Young said. “He’s close to Jimmy Butler. Would that be a fit?”
It wasn’t a surprise that the Heat tried to acquire DeRozan before the deadline. As Young noted, DeRozan has a good relationship with Butler, and though there are several issues in his game, he would give the Heat another reliable option on the offensive end of the floor. The potential acquisition of DeRozan would further improve the Heat’s offensive efficiency that currently ranks No. 7 in the league, scoring 110.1 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN .
The Heat may have failed to pair DeRozan with Butler for now, but they could chase him once again this summer. With the Spurs set to suffer a huge disappointment in the 2019-20 NBA season, Young revealed that DeRozan is growing unhappy in San Antonio.
“I don’t have to sugarcoat anything. DeMar DeRozan is not happy in San Antonio,” Young said, as transcribed by ClutchPoints . “The offense is not running smoothly as one should think with a guy like him in the lineup. There are problems. They’re not winning. They don’t look like they enjoy playing with each other. The roster just doesn’t fit.”
In the past several months, rumors have been continuously swirling around DeRozan and his future with the Spurs. According to a previous article in The Inquisitr , there is speculation that the All-Star shooting guard is planning to opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t receive a contract extension with the Spurs. The Heat may not have enough salary cap space to offer DeRozan a decent contract in the 2020 NBA free agency, but if they are serious about adding him to their roster this summer, they may consider executing a sign-and-trade deal with the Spurs.
