The Washington Wizards are trying to add a Hall of Fame-caliber scorer to their roster, and DeMar DeRozan is at the top of their list.
Washington has had ongoing conversations with the six-time All-Star, joining the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Cleveland Cavaliers as suitors, per multiple reports. DeRozan, who turns 37 in August, was waived by the Sacramento Kings on July 6 and is now looking for the right situation to close out his career.
Why the Wizards Want Him
Washington is trying to become relevant again, and doing it fast. The roster is now led by Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and AJ Dybantsa, each of whom has joined the team since January. That is a actually intriguing core, and it needs veteran scoring to smooth out the rough edges.
DeRozan can absolutely still score. He averaged 18.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting across 77 games last season. That is not the profile of a guy in decline. That is a guy who has learned to score efficiently in a new era of the sport.
Adding him to a bench unit would give the Wizards a legitimate late-clock creator who can generate points against any defense. That is exactly what young teams need to survive tough playoff series.
Why It Might Not Be Smart
The counter-argument is simple. Washington should be prioritizing development for Dybantsa and other young players, not veteran scoring that eats up minutes and shots.
DeRozan is 37. He is not part of the long-term future. Every possession he uses is a possession the Wizards’ young players do not get. If the goal is to build sustainable competitiveness, adding an aging vet who wants a real role could actually slow the process.
The counter-counter argument is that veteran presence accelerates development for young stars. Dybantsa learning from DeRozan every day for a season could be worth more than any development minutes he would get in his place.
The Competition
Miami, Denver, and Cleveland are all in on DeRozan. That is a serious market for a 37-year-old, and it says a lot about how much he still has left in the tank.
Miami just got Giannis, which changes their needs. Denver is trying to squeeze one more championship window out of Jokic’s prime. Cleveland already has depth but wants veteran scoring for the postseason.
Washington’s pitch is minutes. If DeRozan wants to start and take real shots, the Wizards can offer that in a way the contenders cannot.
What Actually Happens
Expect DeRozan to sign somewhere within the next two weeks. If he wants a ring, he goes to Denver or Cleveland. If he wants featured minutes, he goes to Washington. Miami is somewhere in the middle.
Washington has 14 players on standard contracts. The 15th roster spot is open. That is a significant piece of the pitch for a veteran who wants to know he will have a defined role from Day 1.
The Verdict
DeRozan to the Wizards makes sense if the goal is short-term relevance and veteran mentorship for a young roster. It makes less sense if the goal is a pure development season. Washington front office seems to be prioritizing the former, and that is a legitimate choice.
The signing would be a small move that adds up to a real story about a franchise trying to change its identity. That alone makes it worth watching.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
