{"id":840330,"date":"2026-08-02T18:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T18:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/840330\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T18:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T18:38:09","slug":"nba-scout-warns-miami-heat-against-signing-russell-westbrook-klay-thompson-demar-derozan-and-other-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/840330\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Scout Warns Miami Heat Against Signing Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan And Other Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Heat<\/a> are one of the few contenders still looking to add to their roster before training camp. But one person close to the league believes they should be extremely careful when it comes to the veteran free-agent market.<\/p>\n

With Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> now leading the charge in Miami, the Heat have been linked with several experienced names<\/a>, including Russell Westbrook<\/a>, Klay Thompson<\/a>, DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, Bradley Beal<\/a>, D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/a> and Nick Richards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking anonymously to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentine<\/a>l, an NBA scout highlighted why many of these players come with major risks.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the scout\u2019s strong stance against adding Russell Westbrook.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t touch him in a million years ou can\u2019t rely on him in terms of what\u2019s going to happen. Yeah, he\u2019ll have, you know, great games. Sure. But he can\u2019t shoot. He plays his own way. He\u2019s not going to fit into a system. He doesn\u2019t really defend. \u201cI mean, yeah, he\u2019ll put up some numbers, and he\u2019ll win you some games. In terms of truly building a winning team, you don\u2019t get him on your team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Westbrook is currently a free agent after averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field and 33.8% from three-point range for the Sacramento Kings<\/a> last season.<\/p>\n

But despite those numbers, the scout believes the former MVP would not fit Miami\u2019s championship system<\/a>. Westbrook has continued to produce numbers throughout his career, but there have been major doubts about whether he can still help a legitimate championship contender.<\/p>\n

The former MVP has also been linked with a move outside the NBA<\/a>, with the Houston Rockets being the only reported suitor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The scout offered a more balanced evaluation of Klay Thompson.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not the defender he used to be. He can\u2019t create his own shot, but he can still make shots. I mean, on a given night, he\u2019ll get you 17 points, maybe. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be as regular, but I don\u2019t think you should have high expectations. But he\u2019s not through completely. You don\u2019t stick a fork in him yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson is coming off the worst statistical season of his career, averaging career lows of 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 39.3% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range. The 36-year-old has one year remaining on his contract with the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> and is set to earn approximately $17.5 million.<\/p>\n

There have been reports that the Heat could first explore a trade before waiting<\/a> to see whether Thompson reaches a buyout agreement with Dallas<\/a>. If he does become available, he is expected to draw interest from multiple teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>. While Thompson is no longer the elite two-way player he was with the Golden State Warriors, he remains one of the NBA\u2019s best perimeter shooters.<\/p>\n

DeMar DeRozan received a much more favorable evaluation, although the scout still questioned his fit in Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s got more left than Klay. But stylistically is the problem. He\u2019s got to come off the bench \u2014 and he\u2019s never come off the bench in his entire career (12 total times, all as a rookie in 2009-10). With him, Bam and Giannis, there would be no spacing. And he\u2019s ball dominant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if he could accept the role as a six-man type, he would bolster their bench and maybe finish games, too, I guess. No doubt, he can do that, as a finisher. Yeah, you could go to him. I think he\u2019s still got some go-to ability. I mean, he\u2019s not going to defend. When he was with San Antonio, he did start to pass the ball a little. But that\u2019s not why you have him. That\u2019s not his strength. But as a sixth man, considering the other options, he\u2019s a cut above Thompson, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

After being bought out by the Sacramento Kings, DeRozan enters free agency after averaging 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field and 32.0% from three-point range and is attracting major interest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The scout believes DeRozan has more left in the tank than Thompson.<\/p>\n

However, he also pointed to potential roster-construction issues, with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo doing much of their work inside the arc. Adding another ball-dominant mid-range scorer could create spacing concerns. The scout believes DeRozan could thrive in Miami if he accepted a sixth-man role.<\/p>\n

Bradley Beal was described as the biggest wild card. The scout called Beal \u2018a total crapshoot.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played, what, six games? I mean, if he\u2019s healthy, he\u2019s probably got something. But that, to me, is just a total crapshoot. Could he bounce back? He could. But it\u2019s less probable than not. He was good two years ago with the Suns. But if you\u2019re signing him and having to get something, there are other options I\u2019d think they might look at first. I\u2019m not sure there is much competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

After appearing in just six games for the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> before undergoing surgery, Beal declined his player option and entered free agency. He averaged 8.2 points while shooting 37.5% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range.<\/p>\n

Among the veteran guards, the scout was actually more optimistic about D\u2019Angelo Russell.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still good, I mean, it\u2019s an interesting one. He\u2019s just worn out his welcome everywhere. He lures you with his talent, to a point. He\u2019s got some point-guard ability. He can score and pass. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He can get his own shot. He\u2019s always been a good passer. \u201cHe\u2019s not very good defensively. I would rather have him than Beal; I\u2019d rather have him than Westbrook.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russell averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 26 games for the Dallas Mavericks before eventually landing with the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> as part of a multi-team trade. His future remains uncertain<\/a>, with a buyout, trade or waiver scenario all reportedly possible.<\/p>\n

Finally, the scout discussed Nick Richards, who became a free agent after spending time with the Phoenix Suns<\/a> and Chicago Bulls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sort of like him more than others He\u2019s a good third center. I just don\u2019t think on a seriously winning team that he\u2019s your backup. He can rebound some. He doesn\u2019t have a face-up game. He can run, he can score inside. He\u2019s always been like a high-percentage guy, a dunker-spot kind of guy. \u2018But he\u2019s not very good defensively. He\u2019s not really a rim protector. I\u2019d said he\u2019s a 2 1\/2 backup center, not strictly a number three, but might not be good enough as your primary backup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richards averaged 5.8 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 51.2% from the field. The scout views Richards as a valuable backup center, but not necessarily the ideal fit behind Bam Adebayo.<\/p>\n

As the Heat continue searching for roster upgrades, the scout\u2019s comments suggest that experience alone will not solve the team\u2019s issues. Veterans such as Thompson and DeRozan still offer offensive value, but concerns about declining athleticism, defensive limitations, and overall fit make them far from perfect additions.<\/p>\n

If the Heat want to maximize Giannis\u2019 championship window, they will need to be careful not to chase big names and instead focus on finding the right pieces for the roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Heat are one of the few contenders still looking to add to their roster before training…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":840331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-840330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}