Clippers Must Stay Away From Longtime Target DeMar DeRozan

As DeMar DeRozan spent his last few seasons in the NBA wilderness in Chicago and Sacramento, he emerged as a potential LA Clippers target on multiple occasions. The Compton native had a desire to play for his hometown team, and the Clippers reportedly had some interest at times. Nothing materialized, and DeRozan never became a Clipper.

Now, the opportunity is there. The Sacramento Kings are waiving the 36-year-old scorer for cap reasons, making him an unrestricted free agent, per ESPN's Shams Charania. After not being able to find a trade for DeRozan, the Kings had no choice but to let him and his partially guaranteed contract go.

Since the news broke, the Clippers have emerged as a possibility on social media. Connecting the dots of previous Clippers interest, LA's need for a go-to scorer after Kawhi Leonard's departure, and DeRozan's southern California ties, there has been social media buzz around DeRozan and the Clippers.

This should stay as nothing more than fun social media chatter. It's difficult to find a worse fit for the new-look Clippers than DeRozan.

DeMar DeRozan's Poor Fit With the Clippers

DeRozan turns 37 in August. He has been as durable as any player in the league, never missing games and capable of playing extended minutes. However, he is still nowhere near the player he was earlier in his career. He can still put the ball through the basket, but that is basically all he can do at this point.

His already poor defense has taken a step back. He continues to never shoot threes. Due to the spacing issues he creates, he has to have the ball in his hands. He doesn't generate good enough shots to justify having the ball in his hands. He creates mid-range shots for himself and can convert them at an elite clip, but that still makes him an average-efficiency player.

As a bench player, DeRozan can be a quality microwave scorer option. He could help a lot of teams in that role. The Clippers, however, don't need that type of player.

LA already has Keaton Wagler, Darius Garland, and Brandon Ingram as their offensive creators. All three of these players are offense-first options who aren't going to be plus defenders. In fact, there are no good perimeter defenders on this team besides Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn. Adding DeRozan into that mix will only exacerbate these defensive concerns.

Wagler needs reps. Garland and Ingram are better offensive players than DeRozan. Getting the ball out of their hands so that DeRozan can run the offense for stretches of the game makes very little sense.

Moreover, the Clippers have entered a new era. They have made such an effort to get younger and more dynamic. Throwing this all away to bring in a 37-year-old ball-stopper makes little sense.

The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers are both better fits for DeRozan. More suitors will emerge for the six-time All-Star, but the Clippers should not be one of them.

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