The Miami Heat are expected to renew talks with free agent DeMar DeRozan after LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Miami and DeRozan have held mutual interest in the past, and fresh conversations are anticipated now that James is off the market.

DeRozan averaged 18.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting across 77 starts for the Sacramento Kings last season, adding 4.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.

A veteran Eastern Conference scout offered a candid assessment of DeRozan's potential fit in Miami.

"He's had years in San Antonio where he passed it more," said the scout. "He's a midrange guy and on a given night, he can get you points. He doesn't do much else. If he accepted the role off the bench, and then finishes the game, he could be fine."

DeRozan would give Miami a high-scoring option off the bench, though starting him alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo would create spacing concerns given all three players' limitations from three-point range. If DeRozan signs, the Heat would likely still need to add a dedicated three-point shooter elsewhere on the roster.

Heat president Pat Riley reiterated the team's priorities in comments to Dan Le Batard this week, emphasizing playmaking over shooting as the more urgent need.

"Everybody talks about shooting; that's not the main priority right now," said Riley. "It's another playmaker."

ESPN's Shams Charania indicated Friday that DeRozan and free agent Bradley Beal represent Miami's most realistic remaining targets following James' decision.

"Now they will now shift their focus to players like Demar DeRozan, Bradley Beal," said Charania. "Could you find a player like Klay Thompson on the buyout market?"

Miami currently has 12 players on standard contracts, three shy of the maximum roster size, and operates under a $209 million hard cap that limits its financial flexibility to add multiple significant contributors this offseason.