Mar 4, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley applauds Chris Bosh during a brief ceremony during the game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit:

The Miami Heat ended as the runner-ups to land All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan, who found his new home this offseason with the Sacramento Kings.

It seems the Heat may have lucked out by not acquiring DeRozan, as the Kings are 10-13 (12th in the Western Conference). Meanwhile, the Heat are the No. 7 seed in the East with a record of 10-10.

One anonymous NBA executive spoke with ESPN about DeRozan’s talent not equating to winning basketball.

“DeRozan is a highly skilled player who is great to have in the locker room and a guy who you want to give the ball to at the end of a game,” one executive said. “But his play hasn’t driven winning, and it’s something that unfortunately has been the case throughout his career and it’s part of why he’s changed teams a bunch.”

The intrigue with DeRozan felt like desperation from Miami’s front office after striking out on Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell. The 35-year-old’s style of play is quite similar to Jimmy Butler’s, which should have been the first sign to steer clear.

Still, the regular season is only a fourth of the way through, meaning the Kings and DeRozan have plenty of time to vault themselves back among championship contenders.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on