Baffling suitor emerges for DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan's free agency has stretched into late July after the Sacramento Kings waived him earlier in the month. Now, the 36-year-old forward has a surprising new suitor.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Washington Wizards had contacted DeRozan about signing with the team. It's a strange match for a veteran scorer and a team that drafted a player at No. 1 in June's NBA Draft who plays DeRozan's position.

DeMar DeRozan is a strange fit with the Wizards

Last season, DeRozan showed he could still contribute to an NBA team, averaging 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists while playing 77 games. He was a consummate professional even on an injury-ravaged Kings team that went 22-60.

But he's an odd addition to a Wizards team that already signed Trae Young to a long-term contract, traded for Anthony Davis at midseason and landed AJ Dybantsa, a small forward who averaged 25.5 points in his lone college season, with the top overall pick. They also have 2025 No. 6 pick Tre Johnson at shooting guard and No. 21 pick Will Riley at forward.

Even though DeRozan, 18th on the all-time scoring list, can still put the ball in the basket, he'd seemingly block Dybantsa and other young Wizards prospects, including Kyshawn George, who drastically improved his scoring in his second NBA season. It simply doesn't seem like there would be enough touches to go around in D.C. with DeRozan on board.

DeMar DeRozan has one big reason to join the Wizards

DeRozan has other reported suitors, including the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. However, the Wizards can offer DeRozan something the other teams can't: money.

Like many contending teams, those four clubs are up against the limits of the luxury-tax aprons. The Nuggets are above the second apron, while the Heat have $10M in space to fill three roster spots and the Warriors have $8.3M. The Cavaliers' situation is more fluid, but they still need to sign James Harden.

The Wizards are still $11M under the luxury-tax line, which allows them to offer DeRozan a much bigger contract than the other teams. They might have a better chance at the playoffs than some of those teams, depending on how Young and Davis perform coming off injury-shortened seasons.

But adding DeRozan seems like a short-sighted move, sacrificing long-term development in a bid to return to postseason play. Just because they have the financial means to add DeRozan, that doesn't make it a wise idea.