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Six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan has narrowed down his choices to the New York Knicks and Miami Heat if ever he gets traded, according to The Athletic.
For the Knicks’ ex-general manager Scott Perry, a DeRozan trade would give his former team a “high-level problem.”
“You’ll have a number of players that operate in the same area,” Perry said on the December 4 episode of the Hoop Genius podcast, referring to the Knicks’ slew of mid-range players like DeRozan. “It’s going to be incumbent upon Tom Thibodeau and his [coaching] staff to figure that out and how you get those your four top players on the court along with Mitchell Robinson.”
The Knicks’ current top players — Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle — love to operate in the mid-range. RJ Barrett is at his best attacking the rim while he’s shown marked improvement as a spot-up shooter. Adding DeRozan to that mix will clog inside the arc even more for the Knicks who have endured spacing issues to reach the playoffs twice over the last three seasons.
“You figure out the best offensive path but sometimes those are high-level problems to have and you may rather have that high-level problem than not,” Perry said.
DeMar DeRozan’s Fit With Knicks
It has been rare for the Knicks to encounter such a problem since their last glory years in the 90s when they were not short in talent. But what gives Perry hope it could work is Brunson’s tremendous improvement.
This season, Brunson is the Knicks’ best 3-point shooter at a career-high 47.4% clip on a team-high 7.0 attempts per game. Then there’s also Barrett, who is knocking down 38.9% of his 3-pointers to start the season.
DeRozan’s gravity as a mid-range threat could give Brunson and Barrett more open outside shots. Even Randle, who is struggling with just a 27.9% 3-point shooting clip, could benefit from playing off DeRozan on offense.
[DeRozan] could be a guy that helps become that third option if you will,” Perry said. “He has proven the ability to score and score in the clutch. He’s not a volume or considered an excellent three-point shooter but boy is he lethal in that mid-range area. He can draw fouls and I think he’s just a really good professional.”
DeMar DeRozan’s Big Question Mark
At 34, DeRozan is at the tail-end of his career. While still fresh from his sixth All-Star berth last year, he is off to a slow start this season by his standards. His numbers are down across the board, averaging only 21.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists on 45% shooting.
What makes trading for DeRozan trickier is he is on an expiring deal. He and the Bulls were far apart on years and salary in their extension talks last summer, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
DeRozan is looking for his last big payday and long-term security. That will factor a lot into the Knicks’ appetite to trade for him.
“I think what teams will take into consideration is trying to figure out how much they think he has left,” Perry said. “Personally, I think he has a good two to three years left at playing at a comparable level to where he’s at right now. So, I’m really excited. I don’t have any information on who would be in the lead in going after him but I really like this player and I think he could help take a team that’s in the midst of that [playoff] race and make them an even stronger contender for a deep playoff run.”
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