DeMar DeRozan is on the open market, and the Washington Wizards want in. Washington has reportedly had conversations with the six-time All-Star, joining the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Cleveland Cavaliers in showing interest after the Sacramento Kings waived him this week.
The move to waive DeRozan surprised no one who has been watching the Kings’ offseason. Sacramento overhauled the roster after another disappointing season, and DeRozan’s contract was one of the salary-cap dominoes that had to move. He is now a free agent at 36, still capable of scoring in the mid-teens per game, still one of the best mid-range shot creators in the league.
Washington is a curious destination on paper. The Wizards are in a full rebuild. They just drafted AJ Dybantsa first overall. Their young core of Sarr, Coulibaly, Carrington, and Dybantsa is not competing for anything meaningful in 2026 to 2027. Adding DeRozan is not going to make Washington a playoff team.
The rebuilding-team-signs-veteran-scorer play works for a few reasons. DeRozan is a professional’s professional, and having him in the locker room as a mentor to young wings is real value. He can also become a midseason trade chip if the Wizards decide to flip him to a contender for more picks. Sign him at a manageable number, let him work with the young guys, and turn him into future assets at the deadline. That is a smart front-office play.
The Heat make a lot more sense as an actual basketball fit. Miami just added Giannis Antetokounmpo and needs shot creation around him. DeRozan is exactly the type of veteran wing who could space the floor and create in isolation when the offense stalls out. Denver has similar needs after another Nikola Jokic season that included plenty of stretches where his teammates could not create their own shots.
Cleveland is the wild card. The Cavaliers have Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland as their guards, but they have needed a wing scorer for years. DeRozan would immediately be the third scoring option and could take pressure off the young core.
The most likely landing spot is Miami. Pat Riley loves veterans who can score, and DeRozan is a Riley type of guy. He plays hard, he takes big shots, and he never makes off-court news. That is exactly the kind of piece Miami wants to add.
The number DeRozan can command is the tricky part. He is not going to get $20 million a year at 36 with limited perimeter defense. He might get $12 to $15 million on a one-year deal, or slightly less on a two-year contract with a player option. Whichever team lands him is doing so at a discount compared to a few years ago.
For Washington to actually convert on the DeRozan interest, they will have to offer more than any playoff team. Rebuilding teams typically have to overpay veterans to come play for losing squads. That may or may not be worth it depending on the front office’s timeline.
Expect this to resolve in the next 10 days. DeRozan is not going to sit on the market long, and Miami has been the most aggressive suitor from the start.
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.
