Rival front offices consider the Miami Heat the leading candidate to sign veteran scorers DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Miami’s focus shifted after LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that James’s agent, Rich Paul, expected the league’s all-time scoring leader to join the Heat for much of the process. Instead, the 41-year-old forward inked a deal with Philadelphia, the fourth team of his career.
Siegel added that Giannis Antetokounmpo, whom Miami officially acquired from Milwaukee on July 6 after the moratorium lifted, did not make an aggressive recruiting push for James. Whether that influenced James’s choice remains unclear.
With James off the board, Miami is now pursuing DeRozan and Beal. Executives around the league believe the Heat are likely to secure at least one of the multi-time All-Stars, though it is uncertain if the organization wants to add both.
DeRozan, who turns 37 in two weeks, spent the past two seasons with the Sacramento Kings before being waived earlier this month when the club moved off his partially guaranteed contract. Beal, previously with the Los Angeles Clippers, missed nearly the entire 2025-26 season because of a hip injury and became a free agent after declining his player option at the end of June.
Source: Hoops Rumors
