While veteran wing DeMar DeRozan has enjoyed a career reassurance with the Chicago Bulls, he hasn’t gotten to experience a ton of team success in the process, which has led some to imagine what he’d look like playing for a better squad.
DeRozan may very well change teams in the future, and in the eyes of former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague, the 34-year-old joining the Miami Heat would be “fire.”
@ShamsCharania mentions the Miami Heat as a potential future landing spot for DeMar DeRozan on the @club520podcast , sparking a funny conversation about his fit with the team.
“They won’t shoot no threes”
Thoughts on his fit with Miami? pic.twitter.com/yNYWjZkOzg
— Heat Lead 🔥 (@HeatLead) March 4, 2024
“He’d be fire with Miami,” Teague said.
Questioned about the fit DeRozan would have with Miami — including as it relates to Heat guard Tyler Herro — Teague stood his ground.
“One thing about Jimmy [Butler] — Jimmy know how to make everybody better, and he don’t mind takin’ a back row,” he said. “When he gotta be the dog, he can be the dog, and DeMar the same way. When we was in San Antonio, he was literally like a point forward almost. … Tyler Herro would get buckets.”
DeRozan is only under contract through this season, so he could find himself in a new uniform by the time the 2024-25 campaign arrives.
Although he’s aging, the six-time All-Star is still a very productive player. This season, he’s averaging 22.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.
While he wasn’t named an All-Star this season, he did earn that honor during his first two seasons with the Bulls. This is his third season with the franchise.
Chicago has only reached the playoffs once with DeRozan, and it was a short postseason trip, with the team being eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in 2022. The Bulls missed the playoffs last season and could end up doing so again this season, though they do currently hold a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat, for their part, have shown that they will be contenders until proven otherwise. Still, some feel that the team needs to add another piece in order to get over the hump, and a player like DeRozan could be exactly what’s missing.
Miami is 34-26 this season, and while the team only holds a play-in spot (like Chicago) right now, there’s an understanding that the Heat are far more dangerous than the Bulls.
DeRozan’s future will be an interesting storyline to monitor going forward, and it’s something that Heat fans will likely want to keep an eye on.
