The early optimism that the Golden State Warriors had a legitimate chance to land LeBron James in free agency has worn off. Many now think he will go to a different team which has led to some speculation that the franchise will pivot to DeMar DeRozan who was just let go by the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
That would be the ultimate letdown for Warriors fans. That’s no disrespect to DeRozan who's a solid player and if with the Warriors, could potentially be a nice addition to the team despite being just another aged veteran on a team that already has too many.
But the whiplash of daydreaming about some bizarre aging superstar squad comprised of LeBron, Stephen Curry and maybe even Anthony Davis, to the grim reality of thinking about adding DeRozan would just be a gut punch for so many fans.
DeMar DeRozan is a much more realistic addition for the Warriors
It always felt a little fanciful to think James actually would sign with the Warriors. Even his addition doesn’t necessarily make them a contender, and it leaves you wondering why he would join Golden State unless he just wanted to do it “for the vibes” to play alongside Curry and Draymonf Green.
The Cleveland Cavaliers make sense as a destination, allowing the superstar forward to close out his career where it all began. Plus, the Cavaliers are a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.
A DeRozan pursuit would be much more realistic for this weird, in limbo version of the Warriors. They aren’t contenders but they aren’t rebuilding, rather just stuck in Play-In limbo with no obvious way of getting out.
They have an aging roster without enough young players to just say “play the kids," yet also don't enough top-end talent to truly get excited about the team’s prospects of making a run, particularly with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody sidelined by long-term injuries.
DeRozan would fit in with that ethos given the fact that he’s about to be 37 and has steadily declined statistically over the last few seasons. He at least stays on the court for the most part, playing in 74 games or more in each of the last five seasons which would be notable for an injury-prone team.
Still, the drop off from thinking about James alongside Curry, to thinking about DeRozan standing in for Jimmy Butler, is a big letdown but a reality of where this team is at right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google