Seventeen seasons. 26,711 career points. Six All-Star appearances. Over $305 million earned. And zero championship rings.
That is the brutal arithmetic of DeMar DeRozan’s career — a career so productive, so consistent, and so criminally underappreciated that the man is currently 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, just 235 points shy of Hakeem Olajuwon’s 26,946 career points, and still most people talk about him like he’s a nice trivia footnote rather than one of the most durable scoring machines the league has ever produced.
And now, at 36 years old — turning 37 on August 7 — DeMar DeRozan is a free agent again. Sacramento waived him on July 6, 2026. LeBron James broke everyone’s heart by bolting to Philadelphia. And suddenly, the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Washington Wizards are all circling DeRozan like he is exactly what he is: one of the most impactful veterans still available on the market.
As of August 4, no deal has been signed. The clock is ticking. And the decision DeRozan makes in the next few days or weeks could define how the final chapter of an all-time career is remembered.
Let’s break this thing down.
How We Got Here: Sacramento, a Collaborative Split, and $15 Million Saved
The Kings waiving DeRozan was not some dramatic falling out. It was a business decision dressed up in mutual respect. His $25.7M contract for 2026-27 carried only a $10M guarantee before a January 10 buyout deadline — meaning Sacramento was essentially holding an expensive option on a player whose market value had grown beyond what a 22-60 rebuilding team needed.
They cut the cord, saved north of $15 million, and DeRozan entered free agency on his own terms.
Here is the part that gets glossed over in the coverage: DeRozan earned that contract. Even on a bad Kings team, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game across 77 starts while shooting 49.7% from the field. He ranked 19th in clutch scoring across the entire league. And in March 2026, at 36 years and 220 days old, he became the oldest player in NBA history to drop a 40-point, 10-assist game — 41 points and 11 assists against Utah, just because he felt like making history on a Tuesday.
This is not a player in decline. This is a player on a bad team. There is a profound difference.
The LeBron Effect: How One Man’s Decision Shaped DeRozan’s Market
You cannot tell the DeRozan free agency story without talking about LeBron James. Every team currently pursuing DeRozan — the Heat, the Cavs, the Nuggets, the Wizards — spent a significant portion of the summer monitoring LeBron’s situation before he ultimately signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
As Sports Illustrated framed it plainly: “DeRozan has been viewed as more of a contingency plan for those who were interested in bringing LeBron aboard their respective rosters, yet were unable to secure the deal.”
That framing is technically accurate and emotionally unfair at the same time. Yes, these teams pivoted to DeRozan after LeBron picked Philly. But calling a 16th all-time scorer a “contingency plan” is the kind of thing that has followed DeRozan his entire career — a guy who produces at an elite level and still gets framed as the backup option. The irony is rich. The reality is that every single one of these franchises would be lucky to land him.
The Four Suitors: A Team-by-Team Breakdown
Miami Heat — The Most Emotionally Resonant, The Most Complicated
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line called Miami “the most likely scenario” for DeRozan, and the logic is not hard to follow. Pat Riley’s culture is built on toughness, professionalism, and winning. DeRozan embodies all three. The Heat officially acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee on July 6, 2026, pairing him with Bam Adebayo to create one of the most terrifying frontcourt duos in the Eastern Conference. Adding DeRozan as a proven off-bench scorer — a guy who can create his own shot in the half-court and drain mid-range pull-ups with his eyes closed — makes Miami a genuine title contender.
There is just one problem. Two, actually.
First, the money. The Giannis trade hard-capped Miami, leaving only approximately $8 million of their mid-level exception available. There is no large deal possible. DeRozan would be taking a significant pay cut to play in South Beach, and even Fischer cautioned that “those other spots really don’t have spending power.”
Second — and this is the bigger wrinkle — Miami is prioritizing a Klay Thompson pursuit. Thompson is a buyout candidate from Dallas, carrying a $17.5 million contract in the final year of his three-year, $50 million deal with the Mavericks. The Heat view him as the higher-priority target. If that negotiation stalls or falls apart, Miami pivots to DeRozan. If Thompson signs? DeRozan is looking elsewhere.
One anonymous NBA scout told Heavy Sports that DeRozan is actually the superior option: “He’s not going to defend… But as a sixth man, considering the other options, he’s a cut above Thompson, for sure.” Whether Pat Riley agrees with that assessment is the central Miami subplot right now.
Cleveland Cavaliers — The Best Tactical Fit, Full Stop
If you want to talk pure basketball fit, Cleveland is the answer. It is not particularly close.
The Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025-26 before getting swept by the New York Knicks. Their core of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen is legitimately elite — but there is a conspicuous gap in their offensive profile. As Yahoo Sports put it: “The Cavs lack wing scoring, and they lack a true back-to-the-basket player… Donovan Mitchell isn’t playing with his back to the basket, Evan Mobley prefers to face up, and Jarrett Allen’s role is different. They actually lack post scoring — specifically mid-post scoring. That’s what you need in the playoffs when the game slows down. DeMar fits them completely.”
That analysis is surgically accurate. In playoff half-court environments, when pace slows and spacing tightens, DeRozan’s ability to score from the mid-post — the floater, the turnaround jumper, the pump-fake-and-draw-foul sequence he has been running on defenders for 17 years — becomes exactly what you want. Cleveland does not have that. DeRozan is that.
James Harden even delayed signing his own new contract to preserve Cleveland’s financial flexibility — a strategic maneuver primarily designed to facilitate the addition of Peyton Watson from Denver, with DeRozan among several complementary pieces being explored. The Cavs sit just below the luxury tax and first-apron thresholds, meaning they can offer more than the veteran minimum. They have the fit. They have the flexibility. They have the championship window right now. Cleveland is the move that makes the most basketball sense.
Denver Nuggets — The Dream Scenario That Costs Almost Nothing
Nikola Jokić averaged 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game in 2025-26. He is arguably the best player on the planet. Playing alongside him should require no further selling.
And yet Denver’s pitch to DeRozan comes with a significant financial catch: the Nuggets are currently under the first apron at approximately $192 million in total payroll, and their cap situation limits Denver to offering nothing more than the veteran minimum, approximately $3.2 million.
DNVR Sports made the case that DeRozan could essentially be “a Tim Hardaway Jr. injection of offense on the bench — arguably a better version.” Denver ranked 20th in bench scoring last season. The need is real. Jokić’s elite passing creates high-percentage looks for exactly the kind of cut-and-create scorer DeRozan is. The fit is genuinely appealing from a basketball standpoint.
But here is the tension nobody is fully addressing: DeRozan has started 1,252 of his 1,264 career games. Asking him to come off the bench in Denver — for $3.2 million — is a massive ask. Reports indicate he is willing to sign for the minimum if it means joining a legitimate contender. That makes Denver’s path possible. It does not make it easy.
Washington Wizards — The Money, The Mentorship, and the Long Game
The Washington Wizards were 17-65 last season. Let that number breathe for a second. Then consider what they did this offseason.
They drafted AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick — a small forward/power forward out of BYU with exceptional rim-finishing ability, elite scoring versatility, and about as high a ceiling as you will find in this draft class. They acquired Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks on January 7-9, 2026. They acquired Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks on February 4, 2026. They brought in Khris Middleton, Deandre Ayton, Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George. In one offseason, Washington went from lottery anchor to a team with genuine star power and legitimate upside.
Shams Charania summarized the appeal succinctly: “You think about a team that’s clearly trying to compete around Anthony Davis, Trae Young, and AJ Dybantsa.”
And then there is the money. Washington sits approximately $12.2 million below the luxury tax with their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception — worth approximately $15 million — available. They are reportedly prepared to offer DeRozan a two-year, $48 million deal. That number dwarfs every other offer on the table. It is not even a competition from a financial standpoint.
The DeRozan-Dybantsa pairing is also genuinely interesting from a legacy angle. DeRozan’s mid-range mastery and scoring IQ complement Dybantsa’s elite rim-finishing and developing offensive repertoire — a veteran helping to round out one of the most hyped young prospects in years, alongside Young’s elite playmaking and Davis’s post creation. It is a compelling vision — it is just a vision that is probably one or two years away from translating into a true championship window.
If DeRozan wants to get paid and invest in a future, Washington is the call. If he wants to win now, it gets more complicated.
The Hakeem Problem (Or: The Quiet Motivation Nobody Is Talking About)
Here is something that deserves more attention in this conversation. DeRozan currently has 26,711 career points. Hakeem Olajuwon sits at 26,946 — just 235 points ahead — in the 15th spot on the all-time scoring list. A healthy season at even a reduced rate of production puts DeRozan into the top 15 scorers in NBA history, past one of the greatest centers the game has ever seen. And that is only the beginning — beyond Hakeem, the climb continues through Russell Westbrook, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, and Carmelo Anthony before he reaches truly rarefied air.
After that? The list ahead includes Moses Malone (12th, 27,409 points), Shaquille O’Neal (10th, 28,596 points), and eventually the distant summit of LeBron James at No. 1 with 43,440 points. The milestones are real. The opportunity to continue climbing is real. And honestly, regardless of where DeRozan signs, this quiet pursuit of all-time greatness is one of the most compelling subplots in the league right now — it just does not get talked about enough.
His career numbers are Hall of Fame caliber by any reasonable measure: 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists per game across 1,264 games, shooting 47.1% from the floor and 84.3% from the free throw line. Twelve consecutive 20-plus point-per-game seasons before his age-36 dip — on a 22-60 team, it should be noted — and he has logged 70-plus games in each of the past five seasons. The durability alone is a superpower.
What DeRozan Actually Wants
Read between the lines of every report and DeRozan’s decision comes down to a single question he has to answer for himself: Is this still about winning, or has it become about everything else?
He has earned $305 million. He does not need Washington’s $48 million in the way a younger player might. He told USA Today back in April 2026: “My whole goal since I been in the league is to try and find ways to come back and be better.”
Better. Not richer. Not more comfortable. Better.
That quote points toward Cleveland or Miami — the two situations that offer DeRozan the best chance to finally win the championship that has eluded him across 17 seasons and four franchises. The Cavs are the best tactical fit. Miami is the most emotionally resonant destination. Denver is the ultimate contender gamble for a fraction of the money. And Washington is the financial security play wrapped in a compelling developmental story.
There are also the peripheral whispers — Toronto, the nine-year home where his legacy is already cemented in franchise history. The Los Angeles Lakers, where his Compton roots create an undeniable pull. But as of August 4, neither of those has materialized into a serious formal pursuit.
The Bottom Line
DeMar DeRozan has spent 17 seasons being underestimated. He is the guy who mastered the mid-range in an era that declared the mid-range dead. He is the guy who keeps producing at an elite level while everyone waits for him to fall off. He is the guy who sits 16th all-time in scoring, closing in on Hakeem Olajuwon, and still gets framed as someone’s contingency plan.
This free agency decision is not just logistical. It is the defining narrative choice of his career. Does he take the money in Washington and bet on a future that might not arrive in time? Does he take the basketball-perfect fit in Cleveland and chase the ring he has always deserved? Does he join Giannis and Bam in Miami if Klay Thompson falls through? Or does he take the minimum to play next to the best player on Earth in Denver and bet on Jokić to carry him to the promised land?
Every option has a compelling argument. Every option has a real complication. And somewhere in Compton, in the gym where DeMar DeRozan has been working on his game since before any of this was even a conversation, the man himself is weighing all of it.
We should know his answer soon. But whatever he decides, let the record show: at 36 years old, turning 37 this month, DeMar DeRozan is not a footnote. He is not a contingency. He is not a nice story.
He is one of the greatest scorers this league has ever produced, and he is still going.