DeMar DeRozan could give the Nets another proven scorer and veteran presence, but Brooklyn may be one of the worst possible fits for the 37-year-old free agent. Here’s why both sides should probably stay away.
The Brooklyn Nets have now been mentioned as a potential landing spot for DeMar DeRozan, and while adding a six-time All-Star would certainly be interesting, it is hard to see why a signing would make sense for either side.
Toronto Star writer Doug Smith recently named Brooklyn, the Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets as teams where he believes DeRozan could fit. That is worth noting, but it is important not to overstate it. There is no indication that the Nets are actively pursuing DeRozan or that the two sides are in serious discussions. Brooklyn was simply mentioned as one of several potential destinations.
DeRozan remains a productive scorer. The 37-year-old averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the field in 77 games for the Sacramento Kings last season. Sacramento waived him in July, putting him back on the open market.
There is no question that he could help the Nets offensively.
Brooklyn already has Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle, but DeRozan would give the team another player capable of creating his own shot, especially late in games. He has made a career out of getting into the midrange, drawing defenders and finding ways to score when an offense needs someone to take over.
A potential starting five of Egor Dëmin, DeRozan, Porter, Randle and Day'Ron Sharpe would have plenty of offensive talent. Mikel Brown Jr., Keon Ellis, Josh Minott, Noah Clowney and Moritz Wagner could give the Nets a solid group off the bench.
That team could potentially compete for a Play-In spot.
But that's also where the problem begins.
Would a Play-In chase really be enough to convince DeRozan to choose Brooklyn at this point in his career?
DeRozan has spent the last two seasons in Sacramento, where he continued to put up numbers but never became part of a serious championship contender. Now 37, he has fewer opportunities than ever to chase the one major accomplishment missing from his resume: a championship.
He already knows he can score. At this stage, winning should matter more.
That makes Miami and Denver feel like much better options. Both can offer DeRozan a clearer path toward meaningful postseason basketball. Brooklyn cannot make the same pitch.
The Nets are still trying to figure out what they have in Dëmin, Brown and the rest of their young core. Porter and Randle give them established talent, but the franchise should still be focused on development and figuring out what this group can become.
DeRozan would also need the ball.
That is not necessarily a bad thing for a team trying to win more games, but it could take opportunities away from Dëmin and Brown, two young guards who need as many reps as possible with the ball in their hands. Brooklyn would essentially be adding another veteran scorer to a roster that already has two players who will command significant offensive responsibility.
There would be defensive concerns, too. A Dëmin-DeRozan-Porter-Randle-Sharpe lineup could score, but it would not exactly be built around stopping teams. Keon Ellis would become even more valuable as a perimeter defender, but Brooklyn would still have some difficult matchups to solve.
The Nets could certainly argue that DeRozan's experience would benefit their young players. Having a veteran who has been through nearly everything the NBA can throw at him would be valuable for Dëmin and Brown.
But Brooklyn already has veterans in Porter and Randle who can provide that presence.
For DeRozan, though, there is an even bigger problem: why Brooklyn?
He has made six All-Star teams and scored more than 26,000 points. His individual resume is already impressive. What he does not have is a championship, and he does not have another five or six years to wait for the right opportunity.
That makes the Nets an awkward fit.
Brooklyn could make DeRozan better in the short term. He could make Brooklyn better, too. But if the result is simply a slightly better chance at the Play-In, neither side is getting what it really wants.
The Nets should continue developing their young core rather than adding another high-usage veteran, while DeRozan should look for a team that can give him a legitimate chance to make a deep playoff run.
The idea of DeRozan in Brooklyn is fun.
It just does not make much sense.
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