Unsurprisingly, the Cleveland Cavaliers need to add another forward to the roster in the wake of LeBron James going to the Philadelphia 76ers. It seems that the signing of Mario Hezonja is not the only transaction the Cavaliers are pursuing.
In a segment on NBA Today, ESPN’s Shams Charania noted that “DeMar DeRozan has interest from Cleveland”. Charania also mentioned that “Miami, Denver and Cleveland are among the teams interested in DeMar DeRozan”.
The Sacramento Kings bought out DeRozan earlier this month. DeRozan will turn 37 by the time the season tips off in October. Age hasn’t hindered his ability to be a microwave scorer and availability averaging 18.4 points while shooting 49.7% from the field in the 77 games played this past season.
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The Cavaliers clearly need wing talent after Dean Wade signed with the 76ers and Keon Ellis signed with the Brooklyn Nets. DeRozan projects as a more awkward fit for Cleveland’s roster given that he has been the primary scoring option for the majority of his career. The unknown of how he will find his spots on a team with the ball primarily in James Harden and Donovan Mitchell is yet to be seen.
A clear benefit for the Cavaliers in a DeRozan addition would be the pressure to the rim DeRozan provides, as well as being a sufficient scorer without support. The warts of the acquisition would be that DeRozan has never established a consistent outside shot.
Kenny Atkinson’s offense really allows three-point shooters to thrive i.e., Sam Merrill and Max Strus. There have not been many players like DeRozan who have come into the Cavaliers’ offense with his iso-mid-range heavy skillet. Caris LeVert was the closest comparison; however, LeVert was much more of a willing three-point shooter.
The common thread between DeRozan and fellow forwards attached to the Cavaliers and others is that the teams interested were those affected by the LeBron James sweepstakes. This could be a common theme for the remainder of the summer as teams try to find suitable replacements at the wing.
It’s worth noting that DeRozan and Harden grew up as childhood friends. We’ll see if that factors at all in these discussions.
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