Kings Star DeMar DeRozan Sounds Off On Uncertain Future

“For me, it’s not like I’m playing another 10 years, so you definitely want to maximize your time and give everything you’ve got left to playing for something,” DeRozan told The Sacramento Bee. “I don’t think that part of it is a secret whether it’s here or wherever.”

DeRozan, currently 36, is not naive to where the team is compared to where he is in his career. It does not take a trained eye to see it takes the former USC Trojan a little longer to get up after hitting the hardwood or recover after closing out on a shooter. Next season may well be his last. 

Despite nearing the end of his career, DeRozan remains productive. He is currently averaging 18.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG on 50/35/87 splits. That line would end a streak of 12 consecutive seasons in which DeRozan has scored more than 20 PGP, a truly remarkable stretch of consistent production. 

Since he is still clearly a useful contributor, DeRozan has garnered interest around the league. The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers are both known to have some level of interest in the future Hall of Famer. 

At $24.7M this season and $25.7M (just $10M guaranteed) next season, DeRozan does not necessarily break the bank compared to some other salaries that could be on the move. For comparison, Zach LaVine makes nearly double DeRozan’s salary. 

Professional As Always

DeRozan took a professional approach in acknowledging the interest while focusing on his job: 

“It’s going to happen,” DeRozan said when asked how he feels about trade speculation. “When things ain’t going right, that’s what happens. When you’re not winning, that’s what happens. It just comes with the game. You’ve still got to go out there, do your job and compete. We’ve still got to separate that part of it, still have a love for the game and still go out there and compete.”

For the right team, DeRozan can certainly provide additional scoring punch for a contender looking to take their offense up a notch. This could absolutely be something the Clippers talk themselves into as they try to maximize the tail end of the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era. 

Ditto for Milwaukee, who seems to be clinging to hopes that this version of their roster can contend and convince Giannis to stick around. A DeRozan for Kuzma (a Sacramento favorite) swap has been floated, but it is less clear how far these talks have gotten. 

DeRozan could also make some sense in Golden State, who is now without Jimmy Butler (ACL) for the season (and some of next season, too) and Jonathan Kuminga (ankle) for several more weeks. They are also trying to milk the last bit of high-level basketball out of their duo of Steph Curry and Draymond Green, and find themselves with a need for more scoring without Butler and Kuminga. 

Since their relationship with Kuminga is all but over, and his salary matches well with DeRozan, Golden State appears to be a natural trade partner for DeRozan, despite their reported lack of interest. 

Regardless of where it is, DeRozan simply wants to play meaningful basketball. He probably thought that is what he was signing up for when he signed with the Kings last summer. At this stage in his career, given how much has changed in Sacramento since he signed, he probably deserves to be sent somewhere where he can do this. 

“I think everybody understands you want to have an opportunity to compete, an opportunity to win, but you have to go about the situation the right way,” DeRozan said. “Granted, it’s tough right now. Nobody wishes to have this record we have, but I’ve always been the one to stick through the hard times. It’s always easy to say you want to be in a better situation, but you’ve got to deal with the cards that are dealt and make the best out of them.”

DeRozan’s outlook here is as good as it can be given the current state of the Kings. With the trade deadline just 10 days away, it will be interesting to see how Sacramento handles the interest in their veteran midrange specialist. 

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