The Miami Heat tried and failed to land DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade this summer, and ESPN insider Bobby Marks has now revealed where things went wrong.
“They would have loved to get DeMar DeRozan,” Marks said Thursday on NBA Today. “They tried as heck to get DeMar DeRozan, nobody wanted Duncan Robinson, no offense. They had one first-round pick to trade.”
Miami’s loss was Sacramento’s gain, with DeRozan heading to the Kings on a three-year, $74 million deal via a three-team sign-and-trade deal.
As part of the deal, Sacramento sent Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash considerations to Chicago, and Harrison Barnes and a 2031 pick swap to San Antonio.
It’s no surprise that Robinson didn’t interest the Bulls, considering Chicago has begun to rebuild around young players. There’s also the fact that Robinson is on a five-year, $90 million contract and still has two years remaining (although only $9.8 million of his $19.8 million salary is guaranteed during the 2025-26 season).
The Heat have done very little on the trade and free agency market this offseason and DeRozan was one of the only big-name players still available.
The Compton native averaged 24 points,4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Bulls last season.
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